


Slow Hands

by thattrannyoverthere



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Coming Out, F/F, Gentle Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Canon, Tail Sex, Trans Female Character, Trans Perfuma (She-Ra), Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:22:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24915319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thattrannyoverthere/pseuds/thattrannyoverthere
Summary: Perfuma notices Scorpia has been extra stressed after she learns she is to presume the throne of the Fright Zone and reintroduce the Scorpioni to their rightful land. After a lovely spa day filled with sharing feelings and secrets, the two begin a long and beautiful relationship, and support each other.Scorpia fears her own strength and inability to control it, while Perfuma retains an anxiety surrounding her body. Slowly working through their fears, the two will find themselves in a world of happiness both out of and under the covers.
Relationships: Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 126





	1. Deep Breathing on the First Date

**Author's Note:**

> No naughties in this one, just some tooth-ache sweet introduction. Transphobia/Homophobia doesn't exist in Etheria, but dysphoria does (dysphoria and mild anxiety tw, contains a positive coming out scene).

There was always a certain nervousness that Scorpia carried in the way she moved, her strong, stocky arms always brought close to her body, her eyes moved rapidly to take in any environment before she entered it. Perfuma knew she needed to de-stress the poor woman. Seeing her stiff as a board in any new situation, refusing to animate her overflowing joy and kindness with anything besides her face to avoid… what exactly?  
Perfuma spent the first few weeks after the Heart of Etheria’s failsafe went off getting to know.   
When the horde clones were first gathered and introduced to Etheria, Scorpia had stayed tucked away in the background, smiling with her claws behind her back. When it came time to rebuild the towns that had been flattened by Horde Prime, Scorpia took the brunt of the work, though was never caught without the blueprints. The few times she had accidently snapped a wood board or knocked over a bucket of nails, the way she floundered would have been almost funny if it were not worrying.  
A million apologies would spill out of the Princess’s mouth as her anxiety got the best of her and she continued to fumble to fix her mistake. And then, someone would interject to fix it, and she would smile nervously. It was only once said person had vanished with said failed task that Scorpia’s smile would finally fall. It broke Perfuma’s heart the first time she saw it. She knew she wasn’t meant to see it, that Scorpia would sooner be caught dead than let someone know her smile was impermanent, which only hurt Perfuma even more.  
When it came to the Princess Alliance meetings, Scorpia would tuck her chair to the side, keeping her claws in close and never placing any limb far onto the table. She rarely spoke. Perfuma had even picked up the pattern of Scorpia waiting for the conversation to slow or stop before proposing her idea. When it came to meeting and arranging the politicians that would aid her to regrow her kingdom, she spoke little and always nodded with a wide smile instead of offering her hand to shake. In fact, her clawed hands would more often than not be tucked neatly and comfortably behind her back, often pressing her tail to her spine.  
Perfuma probably wouldn’t have picked up on any of these patterns had she not been consistently sitting with Scorpia in her free time. After all, in those moments of calm, Scorpia could talk. So often she would chat Perfuma’s ear off about stories of the old scorpion kingdom, memories from her time as a horde soldier, or even just how she tried a fruit that she had never tried before the previous day. While she still held her stiff, condensed demeanor, it was as though her tongue had finally been untied, and that dam holding back everything she had wanted to say all day had broken. And Perfuma loved it.   
Even though Scorpia would enjoy telling her own stories almost too much, she still made for a great conversationalist. With Scorpia, there was always something to talk about, and whatever was said was said with a big, toothy smile.  
Perfuma had noticed it consciously the day that she, Adora and Scorpia had sat down to puzzle over an inconsistency on a local map. Scorpia, now only faced with two other people, was speaking relatively freely, and doing her best to think of reasons for the enigma. She seemed to almost forget her fear as she used her claw to shuffle the map and point on select spots of interest. It was only when Catra, freshly back to the camp from a solo scout, sat down next to Adora and rested her head on her shoulder, that Scorpia was recaptured by her own anxiety. It was as if she had folded in on herself like a card house, refusing to bring her eyes up to meet anyone’s, and keeping her claws folded neatly in her lap.  
When the time came to fetch some patrol markers, Scorpia volunteered quickly and awkwardly, and fumbled off, mumbling heavily PG-ified curses as she dropped four or five of the markers. When she sat back down next to Perfuma, she could practically feel the tension emanating from her side.   
And yet, with so much stress buzzing in her head, the Princess of the Fright Zone remained strong and composed to the best of her abilities, that wonderful, painful smile on her face day and night.  
It was in one of her daily morning meditations that Perfuma’s mind was mulling the situation over. She drew the conclusion that being so alienated from the princess alliance for so long, feeling like she was constantly the odd one out, could not possibly be easy for her. She grew up without other people of her kind, and thus never learned how to operate the amazing strength but obvious loss of dexterity that her body contained.   
That’s it.  
Scorpia is scared of her own strength!  
It was upon this revelation that led to Perfuma arranging a one-on-one spa day.

“Huh? Are you sure I can’t look now? I’m pretty sure we’re close to the statue hall and the last thing I want is to be on Castaspella’s bad side for breaking her castle-thingie!” Scorpia protested as Perfuma led her down the hall.  
“Don’t worry, we already passed it!” Perfuma assured.  
“What!? Oh, you should have told me, I didn’t break anything, did I?” Her voice dropping in volume, “You know I can never visit those kinds of displays, they’re just too fragile for me…”  
“Hey, you didn’t break anything, you’re fine!” Perfuma rolled her eyes. “Plus, we have a full free day here in Mystacore, we fixed up the damaged rooms early, so we might as well take advantage of the free time! We deserve it!”  
“I still don’t get why I don’t get to see where I’m going!”  
“Because! You get so worked up over whether or not you’re going to break something that you end up psyching yourself out!”  
“We’re not going anywhere fragile, are we? Oh, Perfuma, you know I don’t do well with painted China! I still owe that poor Satyr a new vintage plate set…”  
“Okay, okay wait!” Perfuma slowed them to a stop, her hands still gently covering Scorpia’s eyes. “Now, just breathe, in and out.”  
With a sigh, Scorpia took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out.  
“Feeling better?” Perfuma hummed.  
“Y-Yeah, sorry. Psyching myself out.”  
“No need to apologize. Now!” And with a few last paces, Perfuma released her hands from Scorpia and took a few more steps forwards. Eyes still closed, Scorpia allocated her claws from tucked in front of her to tucked behind her.   
And with the swing of a door, Perfuma smiled, “Alright! You can open up now!”  
Scorpia slowly blinked open her eyes, letting them adjust to the brightness emanating from the room beyond. Mouth agape in wonder, she took in the marvelous, glowing bathhouse before her, peppered with towels and filled with steam.  
“W-Wow… Where in the castle are we?”  
“We’re in the spa area. Apparently, sorcerers would come down here to clear their minds and meditate in order to perfect their spells, and Glimmer recommended it as a great place to just sit back and unwind… so I rented out this area for the day!  
“The whole day? This giant place?”  
“Of course! Besides, it’s not like this is the only spa room, now come on in!”  
The two stepped in taking in the sweet, humid air around them.  
“Now, I have a whole spa day planned out for us, but as always, I’m flexible for whatever you feel most comfortable with. Now first!” Perfuma cleared her throat, “Swimming binds and putting on a mud face-mask—those two are a must, though… and then we can do a herbal soak and deep breathing exercise, then I think…”  
“Woah, you planned this all out for me?” Scorpia’s smile was small and sweet and genuine, just slightly pulling on the corners of her mouth. “This is… why? What’s the occasion, huh?” Her smile now widened, the authenticity slightly faded. “Is it my birthday or something?” –back to genuine, though confused this time, “Did I forget my own birthday? Oh, please tell me I didn’t forget my own birthday!”  
“Your birthday’s not until October! And this is exactly why I wanted to bring you here!” Perfuma walked back over to Scorpia, placing her hands gently on the carapace of Scorpia’s shoulders, gingerly avoiding the spines. “You are far too stressed to be out and working right now! I get it, this whole rebuilding thing has got us around other people all the time which can really drain your energy… but you can’t just continue to carry that stress in your body your whole life! Every once and a while, it’s important to indulge in self-care! I planned this out for you because you are in desperate need of a self-care day.”  
“I… It’s not that obvious, is it?”  
“Hey,” Perfuma brought her hand up to Scorpia’s cheek, meeting their eyes in the motion, “It’s just because I know what it’s like to be as stressed as you. And even if it did show, you shouldn’t be stressing over that too!”  
“Oh, s-sorry,” She giggled.  
Perfuma’s smile widened in response, “You don’t have to apologize!”  
“S-sorry—oh shoot!” The two laughed a bit.  
“And the good thing about having been stressed like that is I know all the best remedies! Your relaxation is in my hands today!” She stood back with a proud smile.  
“Well then,” Scorpia couldn’t help but chuckle in response, “Lead the way!”  
Perfuma let out an excited squeak before hurrying over to a small bamboo-woven closet. “Now!” She exclaimed, “What size swimming binds do you wear? Maybe a large? Do you think you would fit a medium?” She rambled off into the hangars of cloth wrappings, flicking through each one.  
“Uh… what are swimming binds?” Scorpia peered inquisitively over Perfuma’s shoulder, her claws pressed gently against the latter’s back.  
“Huh? Have you never been swimming? Not even in a lake or anything?”  
Scorpia shook her head.  
“Oh! Well, I know another thing to add to our to-do’s-around-Etheria list!”  
“Sorry that’s been growing so big lately…”  
“Remember! You don’t have to apologize!”  
“S—Right!” Scorpia caught herself.  
“Now, swimming binds are like clothes that you wear to go swimming in! They’re really comfortable—though be warned they don’t cover much—and they just let the skin breathe and helps you relax!”   
“Huh…” Scorpia cocked her head before giving a shrug, “Wellp, if it helps you to relax, I’ll give it a shot…”  
“Excellent! Now, try these on—they should be snug but not constricting—and let me know if you need anything in a different size!” Perfuma smiled, laying a size-large swimming bind over Scorpia’s claw and taking a medium for herself. She pointed towards the wall, which lined with 5 or so small changing booths. “Get changed in here, and then once you’re ready we can do mud face masks together!”  
“Sweet!” Scorpia pumped her claw, “I don’t know what that is but it has ‘mud’ in it so it must be fun!” And with that, she slipped into the nearest changing room. Perfuma smiled, shaking her head a bit, before entering the room beside her.  
Humming to herself, Perfuma began to untie the neck strap of her dress. Something small shifted in her when she realized she could hear the shuffling clothing as Scorpia undressed. Perfuma was however quick to push the thought to the back of her mind, reminding herself to respect her fellow princess’s privacy.  
Once she had slipped into her swimming binds, she finally faced the mirror behind her to adjust herself as needed. Her eyes judged her own form, bringing her hands back up to fix and move and adjust every tiny imperfection.  
That familiar stress echoed in her mind as her eyes settled. Her heart twinged slightly in anxiety… What if Scorpia…?   
She adjusted the problem into a slightly uncomfortable spot and stepped out of the changing room, taking a few deep breaths as she went. She then focused her eyes back on the small bag of spa supplies by the closet that she had requested.  
“Hey, Scorpia! I’m going to start mixing up the face mask,” she kneeled down on one of the small woven cushions on the ground, “When you’re done just come sit over here and I’ll help you apply it!”  
“Oh-okay!” Scorpia called from the changeroom, shortly followed by a barely audible but definite thump, and a whispered “oop!”  
“Everything okay?” Perfuma called in at the sound.  
“Yeah! Everything’s all good! It’s just a bit of a weird fit around my arms…”  
“Well okay, let me know if you need a different size of anything!”  
About two minutes later, Scorpia finally emerged from the changeroom, clad in only her swimming binds and holding the rest of her clothes in her arms. “Uh, Perfuma? Where should I put these?” She asked coyly.  
“Oh, just leave them in there,” Perfuma stared over at where Scorpia was, her stirring of the mask slowing to a stop. When Scorpia stepped out, Perfuma took the time to take her all in. Scorpia’s tall, stalky body was shockingly lean, her gorgeous muscles gently complimented by the soft outline of her curves. Her carapace spanned further than Perfuma had expected, covering each major joint and running over the length and sides of her back. Her large, serrated claws curved gently over her chest, hiding much of her torso. Perfuma noticed her face had a slight blush to it. She felt a small twinge in her gut, squishing her legs together as she sat for just a moment before returning her eyes back to Scorpia’s. Maybe seeing her crush in a swimsuit for the first time was a little too much for her, but she quickly refocused.  
“Uh, so, what next?”  
“Oh! Just sit right here and I’ll get you started for a mask!”  
“Right! The mud thing!”  
“It’s a mud mask! It helps clear out the pores on your face.”  
Scorpia sat down next to Perfuma, looking into the small bowl where the mask was. “That doesn’t look much like mud though…”  
Perfuma giggled a bit. “Not mud as in wet soil, silly! Mud is actually a scientific term describing a sediment made of a mix of sand-sized and clay-sized pieces! For the mask, that mixture is wet and infused with herbs and oils, and then placed on your skin and left for an hour or so, and when you take it off, it will clear out your pores and make your skin feel nice and soft and healthy! If we used wet soil, there would be so much bacteria in there it could make our pores worse!”  
“Wow, you know a lot about dirt…” Scorpia gaped a bit.  
“Well, helps to know where certain plants will be growing, so it’s always good to study up on soils!” Perfuma lifted the small wooden stick to Scorpia’s face and placed a small smudge of the mask on her cheek, causing her to flinch slightly. “It’s just a bit cold, but that’s it,” Perfuma reassured. Scorpia allowed her eyes to fall closed as Perfuma gently rubbed the mask onto her face.  
“There, isn’t that nice and relaxing?” Perfuma smiled.  
“You know, this is like… fun, but in a calm way!”  
“Now, you get to spread the mask on my face! Just don’t put it too close to the eyes, nose or mouth, but other than that it doesn’t have to look pretty!”  
“Oh, okay, I’ll try my best…” Scorpia gently picked up the bowl and rested the wooden stick between her claws, pinching it very gently and dipping it in the solution. Scorpia hummed nervously as her eyes flicked from Perfuma to her bowl and back.   
Perfuma reached out her hands and steadied Scorpia’s shaking claw, “It’s okay! Remember, deep breaths.”  
Scorpia took a deep breath in and out, before attempting to bring her claw up. Her claw slipped suddenly on the length of the stick, sending it flying out of her hands, the surprise causing her to nearly drop the bowl.   
“Oh my gosh, I’m… sorry! Whoopsies… uh…” She paused to compose herself. “Oh, man, I don’t know if I can do this…”  
“Oh, that’s okay, don’t stress it!” Perfuma stood up, walking to pick up the stick, “Just let me know if I missed a spot, okay?”  
Scorpia, blushing heavily and pulling her claws closer to her nodded silently. She watched diligently as Perfuma applied the mask. She could tell Perfuma had done this before, as she managed to perfectly spread it over her whole face. Scorpia could feel herself blushing a bit at how adorably silly Perfuma looked in the mask.  
Scorpia had fallen very quiet in her thought. With each passing glance over Perfuma, her heart soared a little bit more. Yes, she was gorgeous in every way, but so much more. She was kind, generous and understanding. She listened when Scorpia spoke, payed attention to how she was feeling, and, well, planned out an entire day to help her feel better when she was down. The warmth Scorpia felt in her heart was so familiar, yet new.  
Her mind jumped back to Catra. Scorpia had been enamored by the captain for the entire time they had worked together and had always held out for her. Scorpia knew the kind of person Catra truly was. She was kind and funny and beautiful, but troubled. Scorpia thought that if she showed enough kindness, she could bring Catra out of her shell and help her recover from the pain and trauma she was dealing with… but it was too much. At the time that Scorpia had attempted to come onto Catra, her mind was too full of fear and anger. There was no two ways about it, Catra had turned cruel towards her. Of course, Scorpia wanted to forgive her, but the heartbreak was to strong and too fresh. And now, that deep, painful ache had returned to her heart with a vengeance, now rebranded and redirected. Redirected, as she knew too well, to the princess in front of her.   
After an invigorating deep breathing exercise in the hot tub and proceeding halfway through a sitting massage, Scorpia finally found the strength to speak again.  
“Hey, Perfuma? Thanks for doing this for me.” She sighed.  
“Of course! What else are friends for?”  
Scorpia laughed a bit, before pausing. “I know I’ve been really stressed lately, there’s just… a lot I’m trying to figure out right now. I don’t know why I keep getting so anxious, I’m… I’m trying to be there for you guys when you need me…”  
“Oh Scorpia, that’s so lovely of you!” She moved her thumb over a particularly knotted muscle. “But you have to remember to take time for yourself or you’re going to burn yourself out!”  
“Okay… I’m sorry, we never really got ‘me-time’ in the Horde. It was always work, work, work, no play, and ho boy did I know some people who could get high strung! I guess this whole relaxation thing is pretty new to me.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry, Scorpia. That sounds like no fun at all… You know, I have a smaller version of a spa like this back in Plumeria, we can have a spa day every week or so to unwind! Even though it won’t be as big and fancy as this one…”  
“You know, that would be really nice I think!”  
“Yay! Relaxation buddies!” Perfuma’s grin widened as she finished working out Scorpia’s shoulder. “Okay, is that feeling better?”  
“You know, it really is! Wow, this is amazing! You’re really good at knowing how to relax! What else do you usually do?”  
“Well, usually I like to do a spa day or baking day, though I find that my skin much prefers one to the other, and if all else fails just I talk about what’s been bugging me!”  
“Huh…” Scorpia looked down, “I didn’t really know people talked about that kind of stuff…”  
“Of course! It is so important to talk about what you’re going through, and not just the good things! Bad things can cause just as much emotion, and we’ve got to be able to share what’s going on with others… even if it’s just one person in confidence.”  
“Wow, I didn’t… huh…”  
“How about, while I get your other side, you tell me what’s on your mind? That always helps me feel better.”  
“Well… okay, I’ll give it a try…” Scorpia shrugged. “Uhm, I guess my mind has just been a little restless since Hordak announced he was disbanding his branch of the horde, there’s just suddenly so much riding on me to rebuild the fright zone, and keep a good control over it all the while dealing with just… a great big…”  
“Transfer of power? I can imagine that’s not the most relaxing scenario…”  
“Heh, yeah… and I mean now I’m supposed to lead a people entirely made of refugees after being under the parentage of the exact group that drove them out in the first place? Not to mention, I’ve never even met another Scorpioni… I mean I have a photo of my moms, but I barely remember them! I… growing up in the horde with no one else like me, I… just really didn’t know how to, you know, be. All the things around me, they were built for people with less muscle and, you know, pointy bits… and more mobility to their wrists…”  
Scorpia let out a deep sigh. “I know that I’m clumsy, I do… I know I make a mess out of a lot of things, but the fact is, I just… have no idea how to control my body! And the worst part is that the entire thing is just… built like a big weapon. If I mess up, I know I could hurt someone. I could hurt them bad, and I don’t know if I could live with myself if I did. I know some of the princesses don’t take me seriously because I screw up so often… but it just seems like the more I tried to fix things, the more they would fall apart. I don’t know if I could face my whole race after… you know… turning into something else…”  
“Hey, I know that the Scorpioni will love you. I know that they’ll welcome you back with open arms and smiles on their faces! Trust me, you will be an amazing princess to them!”  
“It’s… a lot of pressure for a gal that just figured out she was a princess a few months ago... I mean, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to mentally prepare for being a leader of a people…”  
Perfuma took in a deep sigh, letting her fingertips run gently under the carapace plate on Scorpia’s back. “I… know how you feel… I had only just discovered that I was a princess when I came into power,” Her words were hesitant and quiet. She let her hands fall into her lap.  
“Really? But, weren’t you the daughter of a princess?” Scorpia looked over her shoulder before eventually deciding to turn around.  
“Yeah, I was, but… she didn’t think I had the magical powers… I guess there were just… just things she thought meant I wouldn’t be. Then, when I was 18, my mother was injured badly in the same battle I discovered I could link to the runestone. She retired very soon after to take care of herself while she healed, and I was left to take over Plumeria. Most of the people’s first discovery that I was a princess was when I was coronated.”  
“Wow, that’s so strange… I’m so sorry you had to go through that!”  
“It’s okay… just know that you’re not alone in this. It’s going to be tough, but I’ll be right there next to you the whole time, okay? And we can take it step by step until you’re settled and able to rule without burning out, and make sure we keep taking the time to take care of ourselves. That’s why I learned how to relax so much... I started meditating to come to terms with my leading duties, and I found many ways keeping yourself nice and relaxed…”  
“Wow… I, uh, I’m sure glad I have someone who knows what to do here, because I am quite nervous about it to be honest…”  
“And you have every right to be, this is a scary thing. But you won’t have to go through it alone, and that’s my promise to you.” Perfuma smiled, a gentle adoration filling her eyes.  
“Thanks, Perfuma.” A pause. “Say, why didn’t your parents think you were going to be a princess if you were the daughter of one? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking…”  
Perfuma was slightly alarmed by the question, as she had hoped Scorpia wouldn’t bring that part up. The all too familiar twinge of anxiety beginning to ball up in her stomach, and her mind began to race. After a moment of thought and a deep breath, she decided that Scorpia was close enough to her to know.  
“It’s fine,” Perfuma stated, still sorting out what she was going to say in her head. “I just… can—can you keep a secret?”  
“Oh yeah! I’m great at keeping secrets!”  
Perfuma wasn’t overwhelmed with confidence, but she pushed through anyways. “Well, I wasn’t always… Perfuma…” She cleared her throat, her eyes refusing to meet Scorpia’s. “When I was born I—I was assigned male. My parents raised me as one. I guess while I always kind of knew, but I never really consciously realized until I discovered that I was a princess.”  
“Oh…” Scorpia looked down, suddenly feeling awkward for drawing out such a significant secret of hers. “I’m sorry, that was probably super nosy of me…”  
“It’s fine, I chose to say it,” she giggled, “Plus, it feels good to get it off my chest.”  
Scorpia looked up to meet Perfuma’s eyes. “I’m so happy you could talk to me about it!” Scorpia’s smile was so wide and genuine, it nearly brought tears to her own eyes.  
“Thank you for being so respectful about it, I… I guess it just causes me a bit of anxiety sometimes, and I’m glad I can have someone there to understand…” Perfuma could feel her own eyes watering and that subtle dull ache in her heart return.  
“Aww, secrets-buddies hug time!” Scorpia reached around Perfuma’s back and pulled her into a big bear-hug, which Perfuma quickly reciprocated with a giant smile moving her entire face. The bittersweet tears in the two’s eyes were blinked away, only to be replaced just as fast.  
“Now,” Perfuma wiped her eye, “Let’s get these masks off, we look ridiculous!”

***

By the time evening rolled around, Scorpia and Perfuma had concluded their spa day with glowing skin, clear lungs, and messily painted toenails. Their laughing made a slight echo as they walked, carefree, down the Mystacore hallways towards their stay rooms.  
“It is probably about time for dinner, I wonder if there are any restaurants here,” Perfuma walked alongside Scorpia, the solace and comfort she would usually find in her friend’s presence practically tripled.  
“You know, I think there was a fancy food stop on the west side!”  
“Hmm, well, I’ll have to figure something out, because I’m out of packed dinners…”   
Scorpia let Perfuma get a few steps ahead, watching her as she went, her beautiful golden hair spilling over her shoulders and bobbing over her back.   
Okay Scorpia, you’re a grown woman, it’s now or never… She couldn’t fight the thought from her head. It was, after all, a great Segway. Perhaps if she was smooth enough, she could make a much smaller risk of ruining their friendship. Still, her mind would dart back to Catra, how she hurt Scorpia, the feeling of fresh heartbreak… Perfuma wasn’t Catra. Perfuma was something much, much different. The silence drew onwards before it became comfortably awkward. Just ask her! Do it! If it doesn’t work, you can play it off!”  
“Hey, Perfuma?” Scorpia stepped slightly faster to catch up.  
“Hmm? Yeah?”  
“Well, I, uh, gosh this is kind of embarrassing but here I go… I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, eat dinner with me?” That could have been smoother…  
Perfuma stared at her for a moment, “Oh, don’t be embarrassed about that, Scorpia! We eat dinner together all the time, of course we can do it again tonight!”  
“Oh, uh, no, that’s not what I—uh, I mean, I meant more like… you know, together?” Scorpia couldn’t help but to cringe a little internally as her words became as clumsy and disarticulated as her claws.  
Perfuma looked at her a moment in confusion before realization dawned. Perfuma’s heart did a little backflip in her chest. “Oh! You mean like…”  
“Yeah… like…”  
“Yeah!” They laughed a little. “We can go looking for that little restaurant and then go for a walk together, I hear Mystacore is even more beautiful at night!” Scorpia rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.  
“That would be amazing,” Perfuma smiled. Slowly and softly, she wrapped her hand through the palm of Scorpia’s claw. She could feel Scorpia flinch slightly at the sensation, and then slowly relax into Perfuma’s hand. With soft smiles on their faces and their hands resting in each other’s, the two walked down the hall towards the west of the floating city.  
“And just to be sure, we were both thinking this was a date, right?” Scorpia spoke.  
In response, Perfuma couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a date!”


	2. A Dive into Something Shared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia and Perfuma go on a date, and Perfuma begins to discover that Scorpia's own experience is not unlike her own. Things heat up, then cool down. And then...  
> they heat up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some naughties in this chapter folks! Contains nudity and is pretty damn touching if you know what I mean hurhurhur

Scorpia and Perfuma had been dating for three months after the wonderful first date that started it all. A month in, Scorpia finally assumed full control of her kingdom and began the long, tedious process of reopening the fright zone’s lands for proper towns and cities to be rebuilt. All the while Perfuma remained at her side. She would provide advice and an extra hand throughout the process and was persistent in getting Scorpia to rest at least once a week, even if it could be nothing more than lying together in bed until sleep finally whisked them both away. Files and budgeting meetings, gathering relief, and construction overlooking made up all of Scorpia’s waking hours. Much like any other time she had spent in the fright zone, it was a menagerie of things to do with no time to do them.  
Perfuma did her best to keep her girlfriend relaxed, though she soon found that she also had her hands full relocating damaged parts of Plumeria. While they had done their best to keep up with each other, it had been weeks since they had gone on a proper date. It was at this time however, that their work had finally begun to taper off, and they could finally spend more time with each other.  
More often than not, that time would be spent simply falling asleep in each other’s arms. The days were long and strenuous, and left them with no energy to go out or do anything fancy. And so, to simply find relaxation in each other’s presence, they would lay together in bed, arms gently draped over one another, bodies shyly pressed together, whispering away the day’s stresses.   
Tonight was unlike most nights, however. A new energy had surrounded the pair as they slipped back to Scorpia’s castle—a winding labyrinth of repurposed horde buildings—after their first proper date since the beginning of the whole fiasco. Perfuma could feel it deep in her gut and allowed it to bring a small blush to her cheeks. She found herself shuffling from time to time in attempts to hide it, though never let out on her flirting. Of course, neither did Scorpia. Perfuma wondered if Scorpia could tell she was getting hot and bothered at the sound of her flirtatious voice and was doing this on purpose. After all, this was the situation that Perfuma found herself inversely in. Making Scorpia blush and fidget with her words alone… turning the sly, seductive looks she was receiving into a flustered, coy smile.  
She was pent up. She could tell Scorpia must have been as well. And while Perfuma was confident in the status of the relationship, she still held an uncertainty that now may not be the best time to take it to the next level. Still, it didn’t stop her from gently stroking Scorpia’s leg with hers under the table, staring playfully into her eyes as she finished desert. The tiniest contact was driving her crazy, teasing them both towards something more. Perfuma needed to kiss Scorpia. At least. She knew as soon as they returned back to Scorpia’s room that she would kiss the life out of her, just to give them both some more fulfilment of touch.  
Which was exactly what she did.  
As soon as Scorpia swung the door to her room closed and locked, Perfuma launched herself onto her, locking their lips clumsily and messily. By gods, had it been a long time since they had kissed like this. Scorpia seemed to have the same idea, as the kiss was quickly reciprocated. Moving sporadically into a rhythm, their mouths danced against each other, pushing against each other and intertwining their tongues as their bodies pulled closer together.   
Perfuma could feel heat begin to pool between her legs, the odd spark of arousal sending chills through her body with each strong move Scorpia made. The sides of her large, cold claws pressed firmly against Perfuma’s back, Scorpia pushed her leg in between Perfuma’s, earning a small gasp as her dress began to ride up on Scorpia’s leg. Hands moving from Scorpia’s back to hold her face, Perfuma pushed herself up Scorpia’s thigh to re-angle herself. She was sure at this point she was visible, though hardly seemed to care as she ran her fingertips through Scorpia’s short, silky white hair.   
With a sudden, quick movement, Scorpia’s claws were situated under Perfuma’s bottom, indicating her need to lift the princess. Perfuma didn’t protest, and using Scorpia’s shoulders as leverage, pulled herself up to wrap her legs around Scorpia’s waist with a quiet moan. Moving swiftly though clumsily, Scorpia brought Perfuma towards her bed, laying her down before slowly adjusting herself into a position just over top of her. It was at this moment that Scorpia broke the kiss to look down at her.  
Perfuma’s hair had spread out over the bedsheets in a wild, messy halo, her arms still brought up to wrap around Scorpia’s neck and her face red with swollen lips. She was a mess of arousal, half lidded eyes smiling shyly up as Perfuma giggled a bit. She dared not look down as she felt her member pressed taught against her dress. She hoped Scorpia hadn’t noticed yet.  
“Someone’s missed me, huh?” Scorpia laughed, her voice low and sultry as she planted a few more kisses on Perfuma’s cheeks.  
“Oh, don’t act like you didn’t like it,” Perfuma laughed in response. Slowly, the sides of the bed where Scorpia’s claws had been pushed into released their tension as Scorpia sat back up on the side of the bed, much to Perfuma’s frustration. She would have remained laying back, waiting for Scorpia to kiss her again, had she not remembered that her situation would now be in plain view of her girlfriend. As quickly as the realization had dawned on her, Perfuma shot up and crossed her legs as comfortably as she could, placing her hands in her lap to better disguise it.  
“Huh, sorry if that was a lot, I might have gotten a little carried away there…” Scorpia laughed nervously. To Perfuma, it had not been enough. “Been a while since we kissed like that, I guess…”  
Perfuma shuffled over to sit face to face with Scorpia. “You don’t have to apologize, it was nice! Besides, I started it.”  
With another laugh, Perfuma leaned in to gently kiss Scorpia’s mouth once more, the kiss slowly reciprocated. The initial rush of adrenaline-fueled arousal was beginning to slowly melt away into a calm sensuality. Their hands were kept to themselves, their crossed legs touching ever so slightly as they nervously explored each other once again, eager but careful. Perfuma could feel a small smile on Scorpia’s lips, heat practically pooling off her cheeks and breath. After only another minute, Perfuma pulled back to take Scorpia in.  
Scorpia couldn’t help a small chuckle, the sound bringing a smile to Perfuma’s face. While she was so eager for more, she remained hesitant as to not ruin this moment.   
“Well…” Scorpia broke the comfortable silence, “What did you want to do?”  
Perfuma was slightly taken aback by the comment as her mind raced to figure out if Scorpia was asking her for what she thought she was. “Uh, what, what do you mean?” She fumbled out, trying to stay on the safe side.  
“Oh, I just meant that… well, we haven’t had time just the two of us in a long time, you know? We should do something! Play a game, watch a show, raid the kitchen and play two-truths-one-lie all night long!” Scorpia exclaimed.  
Perfuma took a sigh, very glad she had asked. “Heh, I think that would be nice! I don’t know if I’m ready to be out and about more tonight though, I’m sorry Scorpia…”  
“Hey, no problem! We can do something here! What about, an impromptu spa day! Err, spa night? Spa evening?”  
“Oh, what do you have?” Perfuma gave an intrigued smile, loosening up her posture as the arousal began to fade.  
“Oh, uh… not much, admittedly…” Scorpia scratched her chin with one claw, trying to think. “I mean, I might have a little bit of nail polish, though I’ll admit I’m not very good at using it… Oh! This room has a jacuzzi tub! I haven’t had a chance to try it out, but its deep and big and the jets are supposed to feel just like a massage!”  
“Well then, it sounds like we might just have to try that out!”

The itself tub was quite sizable, built to host multiple people, and so took quite a few minutes to fill. In the meantime, Scorpia and Perfuma had sat in the wicker chairs poolside, chatting and laughing the time away.   
With her clawed hands tucked delicately on her legs, careful not to disturb the hem of her fancy dress, Scorpia chuckled out, “Yeah, I’ve never even been to a place this fancy, and now, ha! I own it! I mean, I thought the wicker chairs were a bit excessive, but hey! We found a use!”  
Perfuma ran her hand over the chair. It certainly was fancy, a product of a life that Scorpia must not have known even existed. She deserved it, Perfuma decided, and so much more than just a fancy stay room. By the time the tub was filled, the room had begun to fill with a thin layer of steam, letting the two know it was time to get in.  
Scorpia, noticing the change in the air, stood gently from the chair to turn off the tap only to end up fumbling anxiously when her tail caught on the back and pulled the chair over.  
“Oh shoot! Arg! These chairs are so new too!” Scorpia hissed as she attempted to unwind from the snare, gently tugging at the chair with her claws. With a sinking feeling of worry, Perfuma stood from her chair and hurried to Scorpia’s side.  
“Hey! It’s okay, here, let me help!” Placing one hand on Scorpia’s claw, Perfuma kneeled down to be closer to the predicament, eyeing down the bulb of Scorpia’s stinger, which had slid into a woven intersection and got her caught. “Just a second here…” Perfuma reached out for Scorpia’s tail, eager to help her girlfriend and save the day.  
“DON’T!” Scorpia shouted suddenly, ripping her tail away from Perfuma in one swift, terrifyingly fast motion. The force of the sudden acceleration tore through the weavings on the back of the chair, throwing it aside with a clatter. Perfuma jumped back, startled at the reaction. As soon as Scorpia saw what she had done, she covered her mouth with her claws, a small gasped protest escaping from her mouth. The shock of it all left the two speechless, looking over at the now destroyed wicker chair, laying on its side for a long minute.  
It was at this point that the tub began to overflow, some of the water spilling out onto the tiled floor. With a small gasp, Perfuma hurried over to the faucet and turned it shut. The excess water vanished into a small drain on the floor, and the overflowing tub sat still and stagnant.  
“Scorpia?” Perfuma asked softly.  
No answer. Then, oh so quietly with a shake in her voice, “I… I’m so sorry…”  
Perfuma could feel her heart break. She stepped forwards, Scorpia’s back to her with her tail curled to her front, grasped tightly in her claws. “Hey…” She gently rested her hand against Scorpia’s back, coming in closer. “What happened? Was it something I did?”  
“Oh—no, no, no… Perfuma, I—” Scorpia stuttered out. “I’m sorry, I just get really scared when people touch my tail…”  
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” Perfuma pulled herself in closer, resting her cheek against Scorpia’s shoulder blade and allowing her arms to reach around in a reassuring hug. “I won’t touch it again, I promise. I’m sorry that I scared you.”  
Scorpia sighed. “Well, I guess that’s a wrap on those chairs…”  
Perfuma lifted her head to look over at the discarded seat. “Oh, it’s plenty fixable, don’t stress over that…” Perfuma gave Scorpia’s shoulder a kiss before breaking the hug to look Scorpia in the eyes. “Come on, the jets await.” Perfuma’s smile was small, but full of love.  
Scorpia nodded. As she wandered to the controls for the jets, Perfuma gently set the chair back up and attempted to bend the broken weave back into place to no avail. She shrugged and decided to let it be. Behind her, the gentle whirring of moving water caught her attention.  
“Wellp, there we go…” Scorpia’s face held a nervous smile. Perfuma could tell that she was still trying to recover by the way she was holding herself. Almost on instinct, Perfuma walked right up to her, placing her hands onto her claws and planting a soft kiss on Scorpia’s lips.  
“Thank you, hun… it looks lovely,” Perfuma whispered. “Now, I think it’s time for some hot water and jets, what do you say?”  
“Okay.” Scorpia looked down shyly. No matter how many times Perfuma would see it, she was never prepared for the pang in her heart triggered by that adorable smile. “So, uh, I’ve never really been in a jacuzzi before…” Scorpia looked over at the sunken tub, the edges still spilling some water over the floor. “Do we treat it like a bathtub, a pool? I mean, what do we wear in there?”  
“Well, that is completely up to what you’re comfortable with!” Perfuma almost instantly regretted the statement as that familiar pit of anxiety settled in her belly, though pushed it down.  
“Oh, uh, I don’t know…” Scorpia shuffled a bit, the blush returning to her face.  
“Hey, if you prefer swimming binds, I’m sure we can find some!”  
“No, I… uh, I should be fine… I’m just a little nervous is all… no one’s really seen me naked… you know, like, ever… what if my spines bump up against something and break it because there was nothing to cover them? What if—”  
“Scorpia!” Perfuma took both of her claws into her hands, “You’re psyching yourself out again!”  
“Right, breathe…” Scorpia sighed, taking a deep breath in and out. “I, uh, I’ll go undress in the other room…” She smiled awkwardly and slipped out the door, a bright blush on her face and a nervous tremble to her walk.  
Perfuma wondered if it was perhaps too much. But as she stared at the door, only slightly cracked open to allow for their voices to meet, she felt a familiar sinking pit in her stomach. She was prepared fully to see Scorpia naked, and she was prepared to ease her into being so around her… but she trembled at the thought of herself being seen.  
What if Scorpia didn’t like it? What if she wasn’t pretty enough? What if Scorpia decided that she wasn’t attracted—  
Perfuma cut off the thought in her head. Shaking herself slightly, she tried to clear her mind. Small amounts of water, pushed up from the jets, continued to tap against the sides of her feet as she slowly slipped her dress up and over her head. Attempting to keep her eyes on anything that would put her own body out of her peripheral, they wandered back over the broken chair.   
It stood strong enough to be sat in… but it was still damaged, even if by accident. It needed to be repaired, tended to… if one was to sit in it now, even if it could hold their weight, the protrusions were sure to poke into their back.  
Perfuma removed her earrings and set them down on the side of the sink, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her eyes quickly darted away, and she busied herself slipping off her gloves. She now stood in only her bottom wrappings, as she found little need for top ones. She could feel the tips of her fingers tingle with anxiety as she closed her eyes.  
You can do this… she thought to herself. The returning idea that Scorpia too was anxious surprised her in that it brought her some comfort. After one last deep breath, she slipped her thumbs into the waistband and pulled them down, now standing completely naked, her back to the door. She slowly allowed her eyes to open and quickly scan over herself, making sure she was presentable. Her eyes settled back between her legs, and an ever mounting sense of anxiety filled her mind. She had to bite her lip to fight back nervous tears.  
“Okay, I’m ready, should I come in?” Scorpia’s voice came from the other side of the door, startling her. Perfuma quickly whipped around with a sharp but silent inhale, her mind racing.  
“Wait just a second!” She called back. The tiniest movement of the door halted. Perfuma looked too and fro until her eyes settled on the small stack of white towels by the tub, the one on the bottom soaked by the overflow. She scooped up the one on top and wrapped it around her body, tucking it in and using her free hands to fix her hair. She turned to face the door, and with one last breath, she spoke. “Okay, you can come in…”  
The door slowly opened as Scorpia nervously slipped through, her eyes pointed at the floor and a small smile lined with a blush filled her cheeks. She was naked, though most of her torso was covered by her claws, which she anxiously held close to herself. It took only a few steps for her to look up at Perfuma, now within arm’s reach and still shuffling nervously as she let her claws slowly drop.  
Scorpia’s body was beautifully robust, her dramatic muscles pushing elegantly against her smooth skin. Two small though well rounded breasts contoured her pectoral muscles, and her abs were overlain by a soft, round belly. Her hips were full and muscular, a trail of silver hair leading to between her legs, where Perfuma’s eyes may have settled for too long.  
She was beyond words. Perfuma could hardly comprehend how beautiful she was as she allowed her eyes to take in every part of the princess before her. Her heart seemed to jump slightly in her chest, and she fought the heat that had decided to move further down. Before she could say anything, Scorpia lifted her claws back up to cover herself, though not nearly as well as before.  
“Is, is it okay?” Scorpia asked, her eyes intently focused on something on the ground.  
Perfuma was almost taken aback by the statement, though didn’t hesitate to walk the few steps to close the gap and take Scorpia’s claws in her hands. “You are so beautiful…” she whispered, looking up to Scorpia’s eyes. She pulled herself up onto her tip-toes and planted a soft, reassuring kiss against Scorpia’s cheek. “…so beautiful…” She repeated.   
Finally, Scorpia brought her eyes up to meet Perfuma’s. She was smiling coyly, her cheeks nearly as red as the carapace that bordered them. “I—I uh,” Scorpia stuttered out a little, “I didn’t know if you wanted me to come out in a towel or not, sorry…”  
Perfuma chuckled a bit, her hands still holding on to Scorpia’s. “I wasn’t sure either, I didn’t mean to make it awkward, I was just a little nervous…” She replied, watching her own hand as she gently ran her thumb over the blade of Scorpia’s claws.   
“Oh, don’t be nervous!” Scorpia spoke a little too quickly, catching herself in the process, “I mean, it’s okay to be… erm, I mean…” She stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself. Perfuma felt a twinge of pride. “I… was nervous too.”  
The two met eyes, the ridiculousness of the situation seeming to hit them at the same time as they both began to giggle. Perfuma eventually brought her eyes back down, very aware of the texture of the fabric against her chest.  
“I guess I should get this off too, huh,” She nervously took her hands back from Scorpia.  
“Only if you’re okay to.” Scorpia gently brushed a claw over Perfuma’s upper arm. Perfuma had made up her mind. Scorpia took a single step back as Perfuma untucked the towel and allowed it to unwind, crumpling it up and setting it gently over the back of her chair. She tried to keep a straight face, tried to look Scorpia in the eye—or at least at her face—but found herself feeling more exposed than she ever had before. She was unsure of what Scorpia’s reaction would be.  
Scorpia let her eyes fall over Perfuma, taking her in bit by bit. Her tanned, speckled skin was radiant, her body skinny and lean. Her breasts were quite small though pronounced, and her torso curved gently out to her slightly rounded hips. Between them was what Scorpia new was making Perfuma nervous, on the smaller side of average though alluring. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.  
“Wow…” was all that Scorpia could say.  
“I… know it’s a little different…” Perfuma, swallowing down her anxiety gently folded her arms in front of her torso, allowing her hand to comfortably cover herself. Scorpia’s claws came up to meet her, though didn’t take hold as Perfuma had expected. Instead, Scorpia pulled back ever so slightly, closing her thumb joint before touching Perfuma’s arms with the sides of her claws.  
“You look beautiful…” Scorpia smiled towards Perfuma, allowing her to finally look up and meet Scorpia’s eyes. The two smiled again, this time the smile slowly melting into a nervous kiss. After a moment or two, they pulled back to look at each other again.  
Scorpia couldn’t help but giggle. Despite Perfuma still holding an air of anxiety, Scorpia had regained enough of her confidence. “Come on, the water will get cold!”

***

The first few minutes still held a heavy nervousness, but as the two became more accustomed to each other, it seemed to melt away in the hot water. After sitting against the jets for a few minutes, they found themselves doing what they do most with each other: talking. Talking about overcoming their nervousness, about how wonderful the date was… soon, the topic came to what had happened in the adjacent room not a half hour ago.  
“Yeah, I’m sorry if I got a little carried away, I guess we were just getting a little more flirty than usual,” Scorpia laughed.  
Perfuma couldn’t help but smirk a little back, “Oh, I didn’t mind one bit, hun.” The blush she pulled to Scorpia’s face was prize enough for her.  
“I… I know I’m kind’a nervous about, well, these…” She lifted her claws out from the water, “But you know, when I’m with you, it’s like I just forget everything else, and when… when we were kissing… I just… I forgot to watch them. I guess I had to pull back because… well, because I didn’t want to hurt you.”  
Perfuma could feel that bit of glee slip away. She pulled herself closer to Scorpia so that they were now sitting side by side, and leaned forwards to look into her eyes. “Hey,” she placed her hand on Scorpia’s cheek, “It’s okay, you didn’t hurt me! I… it actually felt really nice…”  
Scorpia slowly allowed herself to meet Perfuma’s eyes with her own. “I… thought it felt nice too…” She sighed, leaning back against the side of the tub. “I… don’t know how to control half of my damn body, Perfuma…” She whispered, “I guess I’m just scared that… if it feels, well, if it feels to good… that I’ll forget to pay attention, and I could hurt you… and… I guess that’s why I’ve been nervous to… well… you know…”  
Perfuma could feel the weight that each word carried, and they sank like stones in her heart. She gently pressed herself against Scorpia’s shoulder, resting her head below the spines of her carapace. “I understand. I want to help you… help you feel more comfortable in your body…” She took a deep breath, trying not to let it rattle, “Because I know how that feels and it sucks. It does…” Perfuma slowly slipped her hand into Scorpia’s claw, gripping it tightly. “I love you, Scorpia. And I trust you. Even if something does happen, it won’t change anything, I promise, because I know that you’re doing everything you can, and I want to help you—”  
Scorpia leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on Perfuma’s trembling lips. Slowly, the kiss was reciprocated, and the two’s mouths moved sweetly against each other. Slowly, Scorpia pulled herself back, her eyes fluttering open to look at Perfuma.  
Her voice, husky though nurturing whispered back. “I love you too…”  
Perfuma could do nothing but smile in return. When Scorpia finally sat back against the wall, Perfuma took a deep, meditating breath, slowly filling her lungs and delicately exhaling. She looked back over at Scorpia. “Thank you for telling me that.”  
Scorpia smiled, looking down into the water, “Well, I… just felt like I needed to warn you before… well… you know…”  
Perfuma couldn’t help but notice Scorpia desperately dodging the term. “Before we have sex?” She could see Scorpia startle slightly at Perfuma’s bluntness. “Sorry,” she reacted, “I want you to feel comfortable before we even begin any of that. I don’t care if it takes a long time, I just… need you to be comfortable.”  
“O-okay…” Scorpia’s blush was immense now.  
Perfuma rolled through Scorpia’s predicament in her brain, trying her best to think up ways she could help her feel safer… more comfortable…  
“Say, if it’s not too personal—just trying to figure something out—um,” She almost felt her heart stutter as she realized what she was about to ask, “What do you do, you know, just when you’re alone? Y-do you use your claws?”  
Scorpia’s entire face and neck seemed to go beet red, “Oh, oh, no, no, no—erm, I mean… well…” She stuttered out.  
“I’m sorry, too personal, that one’s on me…”  
“No, it’s fine… I’ve just…” She paused, embarrassed though seemingly not uncomfortable. “I’ve never done… stuff like that…”  
Perfuma blinked, slightly startled by Scorpia’s answer, “Oh? I’m… sorry I didn’t know…”  
“Yeah… I mean, can’t really go putting these…” She once again shrugged her claws out from the water, “well… near anything too sensitive…”  
Perfuma thought for a moment. “You know, there are some other ways, you don’t have to… well, you don’t have to touch anything with your claws… at least for yourself…”  
“Really? I… I don’t know, sorry… the sex-ed we got in the horde apparently wasn’t super great…” She laughed nervously at the statement.  
“Well then I don’t blame you for not knowing,” Perfuma let out a small chuckle in return. “Um, you know, you could try friction… grinding on something like a pillow can be, um, you know…”  
“A pillow huh?” Scorpia cocked her eyebrows slightly in thought.  
“Yeah, give it a try when you feel like it, just make sure you’re not keeping yourself… pent up?”  
“H… how will I know if it’s working?” Scorpia once again looked down, her embarrassment overwhelming her expression.  
“You—you’ve never even felt something like that before?”  
Scorpia shook her head. “I know that’s bad… like, I know, I’m a grown woman, I should know about that kind of stuff but… I was just always way too scared to try and now… now I’m an adult… I’m dating… and I don’t even know what it feels like… and… I guess I’m just… really embarrassed by that…”  
“Do—” Perfuma nervously braced herself, “do you want to feel some of it?”  
“W-what?”  
“I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with! I was only thinking of using my hand, but if you don’t want to please tell me, I’m sorry, that was too sudden…”  
“No, it… it wasn’t too sudden… I just wanted to be sure that’s what you were asking…”  
The nervous tension that had been building the entire time they were in the tub was beginning to become crushing and unbearable.   
“What do you think? I mean, we could try it now or if you’re not ready, we could try it some other day?” Perfuma fought to keep her composure as the words seemed to thoughtlessly escape her mouth.  
“I… um… I’m okay with trying it now… If… if you wanted to…” Scorpia nervously responded. The two locked eyes anxiously, before pulling each other back in for another kiss. This time, the energy was more heated and focused, as their intentions brought themselves to the light. Perfuma could feel arousal pooling back in her pelvic region as she brought herself closer to Scorpia’s lap, setting herself down on her knees and resting one hand on Scorpia’s belly.  
“Okay…” She breathed out, trembling slightly, “If you need to stop you tell me, okay?”  
“Okay,” Scorpia’s reply was coarse and breathy, and stirred Perfuma’s arousal once more.  
“Okay… open your legs a bit more for me…” Perfuma spoke, her hand traveling further downwards. Scorpia readjusted herself, leaning herself against the wall of the tub and opening her legs. She trembled with pent up energy and nervousness; her eyes sternly locked on Perfuma’s hand as it traveled under the water. “And tell me what feels good, okay?”  
Perfuma’s heart raced in her chest as she fought to regain her composure. Her had gently passed over the short trail of hair and directed it between Scorpia’s legs. Her fingers rested gently against Scorpia’s folds, her arousal prominent even through the water. She could feel Scorpia flinch slightly, sucking a breath through her teeth at the first touch, causing her to pull back just a little.  
“I—I’m okay, sorry,” Scorpia reassured, peering through the nervous arousal on her face and pushing into a slight smile.  
Perfuma smiled in return. “Remember, you don’t have to apologize.”  
She brought herself closer to Scorpia, their sides pressed together as Perfuma reached one arm around Scorpia’s waist. She rested her head back under the spines of her shoulder carapace piece and brought her hand back to Scorpia. At first watching intently her own movements, she began to move her fingers up and down and between the flaps of velvety, sensitive skin. The more she explored, the more she was rewarded by sensual groans and squirms from beside her.  
“Hmh…” Scorpia had bit her lower lip, her far claw gripped tightly onto the tiled bench beside her in an attempt to secure herself and stop her irrational movements. “That feels good…” She mumbled.  
“Yeah? You like this?” Perfuma breathed, turning her eyes back to Scorpia’s face, which was flushed and scrunched in pleasure. Perfuma felt a jolt in her own arousal at the sight and began changing her movement. She truly wanted to explore. She wanted to know exactly what Scorpia liked. Running her fingers back forwards, allowing them to stroke between each fold, she traced to their terminus. There, she found the small, sheathed bead of flesh that she was searching for. Slowly running her thumb under the covering flap of skin, she applied a gentle pressure.  
Scorpia jolted slightly under her touch, rippling the water with her movement and sitting back with a long moan. Like music to Perfuma’s ears, it was louder than she had been beforehand, and told her that she was doing something even better. She began to massage it gently, turning her thumb in a circular pattern. Underneath her touch, Scorpia gasped and let out small, pleasured grunts.  
“Oh… oh wow that feels really good…” She breathed out.  
“Mmmh…” Perfuma hummed into Scorpia’s shoulder, “Do you like this more than what I was doing before?”  
“I—ah! I think I do like this one better…” Scorpia detached her claw from the seat to readjust it, securing herself back as she allowed her whole body to fall completely to Perfuma’s whims. At this point, Perfuma’s arousal was beginning to ache, screaming to be touched, but she fought to push it from her mind and focus on what was before her.  
“Okay, I want to try one more thing, okay?” Perfuma whispered to her, slipping her hand away. Scorpia’s body seemed to immediately lose tension at the disappearance of the touch. Panting shallowly, Scorpia nodded in response.  
With that, Perfuma brought her hand back down within Scorpia’s folds, her fingers tracing the midline and allowing her fingers to sensually dance back and forth. Scorpia’s body regained its rigidity once more, and her breathing became more laboured. While slightly difficult to find, Perfuma finally began to run her fingers around the base of Scorpia’s opening, the texture of her arousal contrasting with that of the water and leading her right to her target.  
“If anything hurts or you need me to stop, let me know, okay?” Perfuma mumbled, pressing her first finger gently into the tight opening. Scorpia hissed through her teeth, her clenched claw pushing herself slightly up. Perfuma responded by kissing her shoulder tenderly, gently pushing into her. The water, while not the best, still managed to assist as a natural lubricant as Perfuma situated her finger comfortably inside. “You doing okay, baby?” She whispered.  
“Y-yeah…” Scorpia muttered, “It feels good, it’s just a little uncomfortable…”  
“Do you want me to stop?”  
“No… no, I should be fine just… maybe wait a second?”   
Perfuma planted a few more kisses on Scorpia’s shoulder, allowing her hand to rest and for Scorpia to adjust to the brand new sensation. After about a minute, Scorpia nodded.  
“Okay, I should be good now…” She breathed heavily. Perfuma nodded, rubbing her opposite hand against Scorpia’s hip and thigh sensually as she began to move her finger. Slowly, she felt around Scorpia’s walls, gently rubbing small streaks down the front with her fingertip, causing Scorpia to squirm ever so slightly. As her finger slid down once more, she slid over a rough patch of skin preceding Scorpia’s opening by just about an inch, causing Scorpia to gasp.  
“AH!” Scorpia exclaimed, “There feels r-really good too…”  
Perfuma, seeing her girlfriend’s overwhelming reaction to this, began to pump her finger in and out, gently running it along the front wall with each down stroke, and ensuring she rubbed over the hypersensitive bundle of nerves each time. Scorpia’s eyes were now screwed shut, her head tilted slightly back and her mouth agape, small exclamations of pleasure escaping it with each stroke. Now feeling the desperate arousal reaching a breaking point, Perfuma began to pick up the pace, biting down on her lip and humming out her own small moans. Once Scorpia’s opening had loosened enough, she slowly slid in a second finger, now focusing all of her energy on rubbing up and down over the sensitive patch.  
Scorpia’s moans were beginning to bleed together as the water sloshed away at the two’s chests, the noises of their escapade undisguisable as Perfuma continued to work away. She began to feel Scorpia’s hips buck against her, moving in tandem with her own hand as whispered, plentiful Yes’s escaped from Scorpia’s slack-jawed mouth. As the pleasure began to mount, the pressure against the tiles of the seat beside her did as well.  
Suddenly, a small red spark lit up the water beside Scorpia, a sharp, burning pain turning Perfuma’s body numb for only a moment. Perfuma inadvertently slowed her pace in surprise, attempting to see where the anomaly had come from. However, before she could put anything together, Scorpia spoke.  
“S…stop, stop… I think I need to stop…”  
Perfuma was slightly startled by the words and had to halt her movement to prevent herself from ripping out of Scorpia’s tender opening. Once her hand was gently removed, she looked at Scorpia in the eyes.  
“I’m sorry! Is everything okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Perfuma fought back the rising panic in her gut.  
“No, no,” Scorpia smiled back, still somewhat catching her breath, “It… it felt really good. I’m sorry, I guess I just got a little overwhelmed is all… but I still really liked it…”  
“Oh, okay,” Perfuma breathed a sigh of relief, resting her back against the tub wall. “I’m glad you liked it…”  
Scorpia chuckled a bit, “I uh… I think some of my power started to come out… I didn’t hurt you, did I? It felt like you flinched and…”  
Perfuma had already almost forgot about the shock, “Oh, no, no, it didn’t hurt me, promise! I guess it just surprised me a bit!”  
“Oh, thank goodness…” Scorpia looked back down in the water. “I’m sorry, I know my powers can sometimes come out when I’m feeling, like, really strong emotions… like really strong… I was just kind of scared that I…”  
“You didn’t hurt me, babe.” Perfuma gently placed her hand on Scorpia’s cheek, turning her head towards her, “This is just something we’re still learning, okay?”  
Scorpia let out a small chuckle, a soft, genuine smile crossing her face. “O—okay.”  
They gently pressed their lips together, Perfuma holding Scorpia’s face in her hands. Scorpia delicately tucked her hands behind her, forcing herself to focus on the kiss and ignore the ever mounting anxiety from desperately trying to ignore the large shards of tile that were now scattered around the seat.


	3. Mutual Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The distance brought on by work has been keeping Scorpia and Perfuma away from each other, but keeping them more deeply rooted in each others minds then ever before. After all, what distance is space if there is no distance of time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting real naughty in this one, anyone up for some uhhhhhhh long-distance same-time masturbation? (also cw some mixed though mostly androgynous terms used for Perfuma's genitals, as will be for the rest of the fic.)
> 
> Also oh my god this is getting way more attention than I expected! I have a few more chapters planned for this arc, and will probably do some other she-ra one shots with other characters/pairings, though don't be surprised if I come back to this one for another arc or one-shot!

Scorpia dropped herself down on her mattress, the worn springs creaking under her weight and the comm pad still raised in front of her face.  
“And you should have seen Kyle’s face! Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone sprint out of a meeting so quickly!” She laughed heartily.  
Perfuma’s laugh could be heard from the other end of the call. The bright light from the radiant white-wooded walls adorned with various hanging planters shone through the screen and illuminated the musty, grey room in the fright zone. “That’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard!” Perfuma brought a single slight finger to her eye to wipe away a joyous tear, “What I wouldn’t do to have been there to see it…”  
Scorpia sighed in response, rolling over onto her belly. “I wish you were here… so much has been happening, I even got to meet some of the Scorpioni! They said they’re going to have their current chief come to meet me this weekend!”  
“Wow! I… didn’t know they had a chief?” Perfuma cocked her head slightly.  
“Yeah, well, I guess when my moms and I went missing, there wasn’t any more royalty to take over, so they just ended up electing someone! She sounds cool, her name is Chelicera! I wonder what her favourite food is… maybe I should just request a full buffet? Should it be the food you taught me about, or should I try to research some more traditional Scorpioni food? Ah, but if I mess it up, I’ll look like a fool…” Scorpia sighed, “Gah! So much to think about!”  
“I can’t imagine! Please try not to stress yourself too much, okay hun?”  
“I’ll try… things have been crazy over here the past few weeks… I can’t wait to see you again…”  
A small blush rose to Perfuma’s cheeks at the sentiment. “Aw, I can’t wait to see you too…”  
For a moment, the two just took the time to look at each other through the distance of the screens, Scorpia silently swinging her legs.  
Without warning, a sudden banging on Scorpia’s door captured the pair’s attention.  
From the other side, Lonnie’s voice could be heard.  
“Hey Scorpia! There’s some other Scorpioni here to see you, they’re waiting in the main hall!” She shouted in, her voice already beginning to trail as though she was walking away on the last few words.  
Scorpia’s legs fell against the bed as a wave of frustration and disappointment came over her. She could practically feel her emotions being mirrored in Perfuma through the screen. Scorpia forced a big, toothy smile.  
“Welp! Duty calls!” She sat up, pushing down her anger.  
Perfuma sighed disappointedly, “Go do what you need to do, okay? I’ll be here when you’re back, so long as those delegates don’t come back with more paperwork…” She tried to laugh a bit, but it fell flat. “I love you…”  
“I love you too! Miss you and talk to you soon!” With that, Scorpia brought her claw to her mouth to blow a clumsy kiss, smacking the side of the comm pad by accident, before Perfuma’s face vanished onto a black screen. Scorpia let her smile fall, setting her comm pad next to her, before standing up and making her way towards the door.

***

The moment the screen went dark, Perfuma let out a long, dejected sigh, resting her head in her hands.  
“Woah, you doing okay?” A voice came from behind her. She looked up from her chair to where the delicate wall met a hanging silk partition, the form of a person stark against the backdrop as they pushed through. Bow entered her room with a light step, a plate of food in his hand. Perfuma straightened herself up.  
“Bow! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in…”  
“Oh, sorry, heh,” he took a few paces forwards, setting the plate down on the table next to Perfuma’s comm pad, “Glimmer and I are heading back to Brightmoon in the next few minutes, just thought I’d come say goodbye! Plus, you never came down for dinner so…”  
“Oh,” Perfuma smiled a bit, “thank you, Bow! Sorry, I’ve been so backed up on all of this paperwork… I just felt like I needed to sit and do it until it’s done, you know?”  
“I get it, I know there’s going to be stacks waiting for Glimmer and I back home…”  
“Well, thanks for the food, I’m sorry I wasn’t down sooner…”  
“That’s all right, I heard you talking with Scorpia and figured you’d want some time to chat… how is she by the way?”  
Perfuma looked at the comm pad, almost wistfully, “She’s fine, though it sounds like she has just as much to do as us… I just wish we had more time to talk, you know?”  
“I hear you there… I’m sorry you guys haven’t had much time to hang out recently.”  
“Oh, it’s not your fault… besides, we’ve been talking about going on a retreat together once things calm down a bit, so it’s not like we’re not going to have that time ever again!” She chuckled.  
“You know… that’s actually a really good idea! Thanks, Perfuma!”  
“W-what? What did I do?”  
“Glimmer and I have been so wrapped up in work that we’ve barely had time to talk, but we have time off this weekend, and I haven’t been able to figure out what to do! But a retreat! Now that’s a perfect plan! You’re the best, Perfuma!” He jumped up giddily, waving quickly to Perfuma before bolting out the door.  
Perfuma dropped her head to the desk with a small thud, before rolling it to rest on her cheek. “I wish I could see her this weekend… it’s so much sooner than… who knows…” she mumbled to herself. 

***

Scorpia’s feet scuffed against the concrete floors, her tail dragging tiredly behind her as she opened the door to her room. The meeting could have gone better… it could have gone much better… as she closed the door behind her, she dragged herself back onto the bed next to where she had set the comm pad, flopping down with a heavy thud. With a deep breath in and out, she fought to keep herself from passing out.  
As her claw grazed against the comm pad however, a sudden jolt of excitement filled her body. “Finally!” She smiled, opening up the device and delicately moving her claws over the much-larger-than-standard icons of her friends until her eyes passed over Perfuma. She pressed the icon excitedly, sitting up straight with excitement and watching the static on the screen as it searched to connect. A few seconds went by.  
Then a half hour.  
The connecting static persisted, all the while Scorpia’s head raced.  
What if she’s in trouble? No, she might just be in a meeting… But someone could have abducted her! Or she could be in the restroom… But what if she fell and was badly hurt somewhere that no one could see her? Or she could have fallen asleep…  
After 45 minutes of relentless static, Scorpia closed the comm pad. She let out a long sigh. “You know what? She said she might have some more paperwork to do tonight… she’s probably just finishing that! She’ll see that I tried to connect, she’ll call me back when she’s done…” Scorpia laid back and closed her eyes. “Any minute now.”  
After an hour of waiting, Scorpia picked up the comm pad and set it face-down on her bedside table. “Tomorrow then…” She whispered to herself.  
While she was disappointed that she didn’t get to see Perfuma again, it was far from directed towards her. No, Scorpia was merely frustrated at the relentless work that had been plaguing their lives for the past months. She knew that all she had to do was close her eyes and fall asleep, and Perfuma would be there to talk again when she woke… but she couldn’t stop her mind from drifting back to the princess.  
Her smile… her beautiful hazel eyes, the warmth of her hand against Scorpia’s claw… the way her voice always sounded like a song…  
Scorpia’s cheeks flushed red as her mind continued to wander.  
Her beautiful freckled face, her soft lips, her graceful hands, the feeling of her body pressed against her…  
No, come on now Scorpia, that’s private…  
But her mind didn’t care. As though projected against her scrunched eyelids, Scorpia’s mind began to focus on the sight from their date not long ago…  
Her hair falling elegantly over her shoulders, her distinct, delicate figure, the way she moved, the way she felt, the way she tasted…  
Scorpia squirmed slightly under the covers, pressing her thighs together as the warmth that had flushed her cheeks shot suddenly between her legs. She could feel the now wet fabric of her wrappings begin to cling against her as she allowed the thoughts to continue, her mind reaching, aching, grabbing at something that wasn’t there.  
With a small whimper, Scorpia curled her body in on herself, her ears and face turned red as a shame from the thoughts flooding her scrambled to root itself, but the decadence and ecstasy was too overpowering.  
She thought of the way Perfuma had looked at her. She thought of the way Perfuma’s lips moved gently over her skin, soft, supple and affectionate; The way her hands moved over her body, gracefully, confidently; The small sounds that escaped from her mouth as she brought Scorpia pleasure, the bold touches that pushed their bodies closer, her coy excitement finally unconcealed.  
Scorpia couldn’t take it anymore. The longing, aching thoughts flooded her head and swarmed into every corner of her body, her legs shuffling involuntarily as her claws gripped hard against her pillow.  
The… pillow?  
With a few nervous movements, Scorpia sat up, fighting slightly to disrobe and cast off the last of her wrappings, and stared down at the pillow. Was she really going to try this? The images that continued to swirl in her head said yes.  
Moving anxiously, she stared at the door, alert and shaking with arousal as she gently gripped the pillow in her claws and brought it up to her pelvis. Her folds, now gleaming with her desire, rested gently against the cushion as Scorpia began to move.  
Keeping Perfuma in her mind at all times, she began to roll her hips up against the pillow, one claw pressed into the mattress in front of her while the other kept the pillow in place. She jerked against it clumsily a few times, her movements shaky and unsure as she struggled to find the right position. After shuffling herself around, grinding a couple times, and changing position over and over, she finally propped the pillow up on its side, both claws holding firmly onto the front as her sporadically moving hips dragged herself over the seam.  
At the first movement, Scorpia knew this was matching the pleasure that Perfuma’s hand had brought to her. She continued her movement, slowly and sensually, savouring every ounce of friction. Biting down on her lip, heat had now pooled completely within her pelvic area, her body begging for more.  
She imagined Perfuma, remembered the sounds that she made, the feeling of her hand, the sight of her body… With eyes screwed closed, a new image had flooded Scorpia’s mind…  
Perfuma splayed out beneath her, her golden hair fanning out around her face, eyes half lidded and mouth open in pleasure.  
Scorpia moved faster.  
Perfuma laying beneath Scorpia, her hands raised gently above her head, her gorgeous breasts exposed, rocking with Scorpia’s movements.  
Scorpia pushed herself in deeper, her movements becoming rhythmically aggressive as she began to pant out small moans with each pass.  
The feeling of Perfuma’s skin against hers. The feeling of Perfuma inside her, rubbing up against that sweet spot with each pass as Scorpia moved just as rhythmically and just as aggressively against Perfuma’s body. The thought of Perfuma bucking against her…  
Scorpia began to feel the pressure building within her, her muscles gradually growing more and more tense as she drove herself deeper.  
The thought of Perfuma’s moans becoming louder, her pants becoming heavier…  
The mounting pleasure continued to fill up Scorpia’s entire body as her moans slipped from her lips, her hips now grinding down relentlessly.  
The thought of Perfuma’s eyes screwing shut, of her gasping out in pleasure at Scorpia’s movements. The thought of Perfuma spilling out, filling Scorpia up…  
With one last push, the building pressure of ecstasy overflowed, every muscle in Scorpia’s body releasing its tension as she felt her opening clenching and pulsing. Her orgasm overtook her entire body, slowing her movements and returning the weight of her body to her.  
“Ahhhh… hahhh…” She panted, low and heavy as her movements slowed to a stop, her racing heart beginning to settle in her chest as the sweat on her brow became obvious. She let a small smile fall over her cheeks. “Fuck…” she whispered, though her tongue was still fairly unfamiliar with the word.  
Once she had taken a moment to compose herself again, she opened her eyes, only to immediately tense, her body frozen in place. In her blind pleasure, her claws had closed in completely on the pillow, her powerful grip and serrated edges shredding it, scattering feathers all over the bed and sticking to the inside of her thighs. Small scorch marks lined the pillow and sheets, the smell of electricity and burning fabric now filling the room.  
With a few deep breaths, Scorpia sat back, folding her claws against her lap, and took in the surrounding carnage.  
The magic was lost.

***

The small, robust castle of Plumeria had emptied, save for the pair of guards who sat by the main entrance. The guests were well on their way, and the staff had since retired to their homes. By the time Perfuma stepped out of her study, the moons hung high in the sky, illuminating the white, flower-speckled walkway leading to Perfuma’s room. The narrowly arched glassy roof was met halfway with glistening white brick walls, the hanging planters casting shallow shadows over the still, greenhouse-like path.  
Perfuma stopped in the middle of the hall, taking a deep, tired sigh as she peered out to the humble courtyard below. She had promised Scorpia she would talk with her again… and for the entire length of the bored busywork which had stolen her evening, it had been all that kept her awake. The soft, deep urge which rested in her chest, the selfish need to see Scorpia’s face once more…  
From one of the planters, a purple violet drooped in a wilt. Perfuma let out a small sigh, bringing her hand to it and channeling her magic towards the roots, until it perked up, casting off its crumpled petals for new, vibrant ones. Perfuma turned and walked into her room, locking the door behind her. Drawing back the silk partition from her desk area, she retrieved her comm pad. She could feel her energy gradually returning to her as she wandered back towards her bed, the translucent flower-dotted lace curtains hung delicately over the sides.  
Throwing the pad down onto the bed, Perfuma slipped out of her day attire, letting her hair flow freely down her back as she pulled up her soft, white nightgown. With a renewed energy, she flopped giddily onto the bed, and picked up the comm pad to switch it on. Upon opening, she was greeted with the message:

Transmission request received from SCORPIA 8:23 to 9:12

Perfuma’s heart jumped slightly at the notification, causing her to look up to the small wooden clock that was hung across the room. From what she could make out, it was just after 10. She hoped Scorpia was still awake… after all, she had waited almost an hour for Perfuma to pick up…  
However, as she eyed the small icon containing a beautifully candid photo of Scorpia, her heart sank. It had been an hour… swallowing her nervousness as the exhausted need to see Scorpia’s face again crept throughout her whole body, she pressed on the screen.  
Static.  
More static.  
After 10 minutes of static, she turned off the signal. There was always tomorrow… but Perfuma needed to see Scorpia’s face now. Her eyes were exhausted from looking at her own writing and that of other leaders, other politicians… written in different scripts, different languages, and now the space behind her eyes was screaming to see what it wanted to.  
For a long while, Perfuma simply stared at the photo of Scorpia on the screen. It was small and hard to see, though she could remember it perfectly. Scorpia sat on the edge of a sunny dock over plumeria’s vast rice and grain patties, a loose yellow dress over her shoulders and her hair blowing slightly in the wind. She was sitting with her back to Perfuma, her head turned slightly with a playful smile on her face as she realized she was being photographed.  
Perfuma’s eyes rested on the photo, taking it in for the thousandth time. The way Scorpia’s soft, apple cheeks blushed with her smile, slightly scrunching her eyes, the irises deep and welcoming like a pond on a hot day. The way her dress hung over her shoulder trochanters, curving gently between the spines and Scorpia’s neck to meet in the back in a messy bow. Up and down her exposed back, her muscles pushed against the skin in well pronounced arrangements, lightly bordered by a soft layer of fat before vanishing beyond the edge of the photograph, where her tergites would have resumed and lead down to the base of her tail. Perfuma could feel herself blush as she looked over the musculature of Scorpia’s back. Her eyes darting back to her arm, the bulging form of which propped her up and slightly obscured the rest of her side.  
She looked back to Scorpia’s face, the desperation to see it in person continued to build. The soft but confident shape of her cheekbones… her eyes so easy to get lost in, and her mouth, practically begging to be kissed… bringing her fingertips lightly to her lips, she pulled the memory forwards, as though to relive it. The feeling of Scorpia’s lips against hers, pushing, pulling, moving in a perfect organized chaos.  
Perfuma set the comm pad on her bedside table, pulling closed the bedcurtains and laying on her back, staring up at the bed canopy and letting her mind wander back to Scorpia. Her fingers twinged with the need to reach out and touch her, to feel her face in her hands… to lay her hands against the strong bulk of Scorpia’s arms, over the ripples of her back… to lay against the cool touch of her carapace, or hold against her claws…  
And to kiss… to kiss and never stop kissing, not even for a breath of air. To let her hands do what they please, and to feel Scorpia’s claws doing the same… moving over her body, holding her, touching over her arms… her legs… kissing over the nape of her shoulder and letting out those moans… oh by Etheria, Perfuma was stirred by those moans. All the while, that deep heat pooled more and more between Perfuma’s legs as her mind reached deeper.  
Perfuma couldn’t ignore it any longer. As she had kept herself laid back as straight as she could over her mattress, the squirming of her legs and scrunching of her face did nothing to stop herself from tenting visibly, with no wrappings holding her back but her incredibly light and now distorted nightgown. In one swift movement, keeping her eyes focused on the ceiling, Perfuma reached to the bottom of her gown and tugged on it, causing it to bunch up by her hips.  
Taking herself in hand, she began to gently stroke up and down, biting her lip and refusing to look down as she let the waves of pleasure fill her entire lower body. Retrieving some moisture from the tip, she began to pick up the pace as her member became harder and harder. Her legs kicked and squirmed ever so slightly as she continued to fill her imagination with pictures of Scorpia. The way she arched over the back of the tub as Perfuma had pumped her hand in and out, her mouth agape and eyes screwed shut as she moaned away.  
Perfuma could practically hear the sounds all over again, the memory so vivid and dripping with arousal.  
Bringing one hand up over her head, she gripped onto the pillow as an ever building pressure began to build along her length, each stroke bringing her further and further. Her hand had locked onto the pillow so tight that her knuckles had begun to turn white as her back began to arch in pleasure. She let her mouth fall open, short, rapid moans and pants of pleasure spilling out with each short, quick stroke. With her legs now bowed out and trembling, she dug her heels into the mattress and let her knees fall away from each other.  
Pressing the back of her temple deep against the pillow, she began to involuntarily buck her own hips up against her own hand, her vocalizations becoming more and more frequent as she felt her peak slowly building.  
“Ah… ah… yes… yes…Scorpia…YES…OH! YES!”  
With a last series of hard, desperate strokes, she felt the pent up pressure in her base release, waves of pleasure flowing over her body and up and down her member as she spilled out onto her belly and hand. Taking long deep breaths, she rode out her orgasm with long, slow strokes, letting the mobile layer of skin push up and over her tip with each pass before she finally let her hand and body fall still, save for the deep, meditative breaths which rose and sank in her chest.  
Slowly as the sparks of the after-pleasure began to leave her body, she sat back up to look at herself. Scorpia began to slip from her mind as she saw what she had done, how far she had gone over just a thought.  
The pleasure was replaced by a wash of deep, subtle shame as she looked over the mess that she had wiped off her belly, and her now softening member still pressing taught against the fabric of her nightgown. Swallowing the creeping feeling, she stood up to walk towards her bathroom to clean herself off.

It was only when she was walking back to her bed that she noticed her open bedside window, and slammed herself down face-first against her pillow, begging that her guards hadn’t heard any of that.


	4. Pins and Needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia and Perfuma have been looking forwards to their retreat for the longest time, as in their own solitude they have begun to question many things about who they are and what they mean for each other.  
> On the train ride over, they attempt to work through their hardships, and start pushing their relationship further than before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back! Sorry this took me forever to update, school got crazy. So here, have a nice longer chapter for y'all!
> 
> Lots of character exploration in this one, plus a naughty at the end for you guys. Enjoy!

Scorpia couldn’t be happier to finally be traveling to Plumeria. After over a month of not being able to see Perfuma face-to-face, things were beginning to calm. Well, calm as best they could.  
Scorpia was exhausted. The transfer of power within the fright zone had been pulling at her from every direction, tearing holes in her focus and mental agility. Still, one thought continued to fester in her mind: she was no leader. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the other Scorpioni felt the same way. After being chased from their home and divided into small factions ruled over by democratic elects, they were suddenly expected to bow to the whims of a princess who, up until a year ago, had sworn allegiance to the very people who stole the black garnet? To a princess who knew nothing of her own culture? Who had never even interacted with one of her kind until after the war?  
Scorpia didn’t have the grace of the other leaders. She could control her people only as well as she could control herself. Her power. She may have been linked to the Black Garnet, but as far as the other leaders were concerned, it was all that she had to offer. And so, with meeting after meeting, debate after debate, each one subjecting hours of discussion to Scorpia’s ability to be what she was so expected to be right before her own face, a verdict was reached. The Scorpioni factions would persist as provinces, led by their own pre-established rulers. Chelicera, one of these leaders, would become the fright zone’s queen.  
Scorpia would simply remain as a representative.  
To say she was disappointed would be an understatement. Scorpia was crushed. She had wanted more than anything to prove to her people that she could be what they needed her to be, and yet, it wasn’t enough. She just didn’t have the training. She didn’t have the knowledge. While some had taken pity on her loss of culture, others remained professional, and weighed the needs of the returning people far over Scorpia’s desires to fill her role.

The newly constructed train routes were smooth and scenic, though Scorpia couldn’t have cared less. She sat in her own cart, tended to by the kindest and most charismatic of stewardesses and cooks, and yet, she could never feel as though she deserved it.  
She wasn’t royalty. Maybe her moms were, but given the circumstances, she felt practically dethroned. And so, with all the food she could eat, she took none. With all the space she could inhabit, she remained in her seat. And each time the sweet-hearted stewardess would come by with hot towels, she would respectfully turn them down. She sat content but not full, comfortably in her seat with her claws tucked into her lap and her tail curled tight against her body.  
Next to her on the seat, she made room for a small wrapped box which she had filled with traditional Scorpioni treats. She thought Perfuma would enjoy them, even if she struggled to.  
With a last few huffs, the train pulled into the station just outside of Plumeria. Scorpia had hardly noticed the hours slip away. As she watched the small sea of passengers beginning to form outside the train, she stood up carefully, and delicately picked up the present and a single medium rucksack. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the back of her cart, tipped the stewardess extra, and stepped out.  
As her boots touched the wooden platform, she stopped and took the time to take in a deep breath. The air here always seemed so much sweeter than in the fright zone, always peppered with the elegance of lavender and roses, the clean crispness giving her a second wind all on its own. She was finally here. She was finally going to see Perfuma again. She couldn’t help but let a small smile pass over her face.  
“Ahem!” Scorpia’s attention was turned to a young satyr in guard attire who had approached her. “Princess Scorpia? I was sent to escort you to middle Plumeria, may I take your bags?”  
Slightly taken aback, Scorpia blinked blankly at them before stammering, “O-oh, no, I just have the one, I should be fine!”  
Apparently, this was not the answer that the guard was expected. They blinked dumbfounded a few times, an awkward silence beginning to settle in. “Oh, okay, right this way, Princess.”  
Scorpia could feel a small bit of pride shrivel up inside of her. Was that the wrong answer? She didn’t want to cause more work for anyone, after all, she wanted to prove that she was capable of doing these simple tasks without everything falling apart! And yet, in trying to prove herself a real and capable Scorpioni, she seemed to continue to prove herself non-royal.  
A small, elegant carriage sat outside the front of the station building, a single large stallion standing gracefully before it. The guard walked her forwards and opened up the door, dipping their head in respect. “Oh, thank you!” She smiled nervously at them. While still slightly clumsy, Scorpia pushed herself into the cart and onto the violet cushioned seat, laying her bag down first and gently setting the present on top. As she reached to close the door behind her, the guard did so for her. Scorpia sighed and tucked her claws back on her lap, ensuring to keep them closed as to not catch anything on them.  
The ride to middle Plumeria was uneventful. Much like on the train, Scorpia couldn’t help but feel out of place. The buds of lavender that encircled the inside of the cart sung royalty, the softness of the cushion a privilege and the strength and persistence of the stallion a gift. She couldn’t help but watch the horse as it panted away down the soft, dirt roads.  
The beast of burden was to be her job. She wasn’t ever meant to be the one in the cart, the one bowed to and entrusted with upholding the land. She was the muscle. She was built trudge forwards through the dirt, carrying the weight of those wiser so that they can know the comfort they deserve. To sweat through the problem, not debate it. And yet, here she was.  
She didn’t have what it took to be a leader.  
She was never taught how to be a scorpioni.  
And now, she couldn’t even be a beast of burden.  
She could feel her heart grow heavy at the thought. What was she? What was her purpose now?  
As the woods became more familiar, Scorpia became more focused. Pushing the last few weeks from her mind, she began to focus on what was ahead. She remembered Perfuma’s face, her smile, her voice… she thought about how happy she would feel just to see her again. To take a week off… to strip off all labels, the leader, the example, the muscle… and just be a person. To just be a person with Perfuma.  
The cart passed through the city’s heart, Perfuma’s runestone shining beautifully in the great willow that surrounded it. Children who had been playing ball in the streets moving to the side and waving giddily as the cart passed by, only to race right back into their playful rituals once Scorpia had passed. She waved back at every chance she got, her cheeks a light pink as childlike joy passed over her. At one point, a young faun clearly intending to make trouble, began waving and dancing and singing at the cart. With a hearty laugh at the jest, Scorpia pushed the sides of her claws against her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. The kid erupted in laughter, and Scorpia laughed back. The disapproval from the guard was searing, though she paid it no mind.  
After only a minute more of travel, the cart pulled up to the small castle courtyard. Scorpia’s heart jumped in her chest when she saw Perfuma, who was standing excitedly outside the white-bricked castle’s front entrance next to her guard. Scorpia could see Perfuma’s eyes light up as she noticed the cart pulling in.  
Scorpia didn’t give the guard driving the carriage any time for courtesy. As soon as it had stopped, Scorpia had already thrown open the door and hopped out, rushing up towards Perfuma. Perfuma had as well dashed from her guard’s side to throw her arms over Scorpia’s shoulders. The force of their bodies crashing against each other nearly knocked Scorpia back, though she swung her claws around Perfuma’s waist and restabilized, lifting her into the air.  
Scorpia couldn’t help but let out a long, hardy laugh as Perfuma giggled excitedly against her. Still sprung with playful energy, Scorpia spun around in a circle, holding Perfuma tight against her torso and laughing with glee. The two giddily settled, Scorpia gently setting Perfuma back down and wiping a small tear of laughter from her own eye. With a smile so wide her cheeks were soon to tire, Perfuma lifted herself forwards, gently grabbing Scorpia’s face and planting a soft peck against her lips. The sensation brought an even brighter blush to Scorpia’s face as the two fell back into a hug.  
“I missed you so much!” Perfuma sighed into Scorpia’s chest.  
“I missed you too… it feels like it has been ages!”  
Perfuma lifted her head to look up into Scorpia’s eyes. “It’s so good to finally see your face again…”  
“Aw, well… shucks…” Scorpia smiled shyly, “And don’t you look just as beautiful as ever!”  
The sound of a door closing could be heard as Scorpia’s escort fumbled out of the carriage, fighting to hold Scorpia’s bag. Upon noticing, Scorpia gently released her hug and called over, “Oh! I can get that!”  
Perfuma clapped her hands together excitedly, “oh yes! Let’s get you settled! The train for the highlands leaves at seven o’clock tonight so we’ll have some time to unwind and have a nice dinner!” Scorpia took the heavy bag from the struggling guard and delicately picked up the present. It was admittedly very messily wrapped.  
“Oh yeah! I brought you something!” Scorpia gently pushed the gift in Perfuma’s direction.  
“Oh, you shouldn’t have! That’s so sweet!” Perfuma beamed as she lifted it from Scorpia’s claws, her hands moving gently over the messy wrapping.  
“I, uh, I’m sorry the wrapping isn’t the best, to be honest I was just trying not to rip any of the paper!” Scorpia coyly rubbed the back of her head with one of her claws.  
Perfuma laughed a little bit, “Oh, that’s alright! It just makes it easier to open!” Moving with delight, Perfuma gently unwrapped a small tin box, lifting open the top to reveal an assortment of odd and homemade-looking cookies and tarts. “Oh my goodness!”  
“They’re all traditional Scorpioni treats! I made them myself, since I’ve been reading a lot about Scorpioni culture… let me know what you think!”  
Perfuma looked up in a gleeful awe. “You made all these yourself? They look amazing! Oh, I’ll have to have some for desert tonight!” She gently closed the lid and began walking towards the castle doors. Scorpia followed eagerly, walking side by side with Perfuma. Almost magnetically, their free hands thoughtlessly and gently entwined. “I feel bad that I’m not done my present yet,” Perfuma shrugged.  
“Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything! I just thought, you know…”  
“But I wanted to! I’ve been working on something for you actually, I just haven’t actually gotten the chance to finish it. Come on! I’ll show you!” With that, Perfuma began pulling Scorpia along by the claw, jogging up the small spiral staircase and across the glass-roofed hallway towards her bedroom. Swinging open the door, Perfuma finally let go of Scorpia’s claw, setting the box of sweets and crumpled wrapping paper on a low shelf and tucking herself under the lacy partition to her desk room.  
“Feel free to set your bag wherever! I’ll make us some tea if you want to light a fire!” Perfuma called from the opposite room.  
“Oh, yeah! Of course!” Scorpia walked over to Perfuma’s wardrobe, laying her bag against the side to make sure it was tucked out of the way. Just opposite of the bed was a small pink-brick fireplace. Her claws moving carefully, she picked up some tinder and a sheet of scrap paper and began arranging them in the pit. She had no issue with stacking the slightly larger pieces of wood, but when it came time to pick up the tiny box of matches, Scorpia’s head became swarmed by one repeating thought:  
Dear gods, do not light your girlfriend’s castle on fire.  
Moving ever so delicately, Scorpia held the box secure in one claw and gently pinched the tiny match within the front tip of her other. Once she held the match steady, she returned the box to above the fireplace and brought her free claw close to the tinder. The first time she tried to strike the match against her claw, it fumbled and fell into the light powder of ash below. Taking a deep breath, Scorpia delicately removed it from the ash, puffing up only the slightest of dust. The second strike did the trick and she set the match on the sheet of scrap and removed her claws from the pit. She sat in a nearby chair and took a deep breath, releasing the tension from her body.  
“Got it here!” Perfuma walked into Scorpia’s peripheral, gently setting herself down in the seat beside her. In her hands was a long intricate piece of earthy-toned knitted fabric hanging delicately from a knitting needle, her other hand holding a second needle and a ball of yarn.  
“Oh wow! What’s all this about?” Scorpia laughed a little.  
“It’s a sweater! I’ve always loved knitting in my downtime since it’s just such a relaxing way to unwind, and I remembered you talking about not having many sweaters because your trochanter ripped them a bit…” She shuffled the knitting around so that the shoulders could be seen, “So I made this special for you!” Over the shoulders of the sweater, a wider more lattice-style of knitting had been incorporated, allowing the shoulders to still be sturdy and warm while letting the spines pass right through. “I hope you like it once it’s done! I figured I could work on it a bit on the train, you know? Scorpia?”  
Scorpia had brought her claws up to cover her mouth as small tears of joy budded at the corners of her eyes. Her heart had never felt fuller.  
“Scorpia? Is everything okay?” Perfuma stood up nervously upon noticing this.  
“I just… I love you so much…” Scorpia choked out.  
Perfuma couldn’t help but laugh. “Aw, I love you too!” She stepped lightly to Scorpia’s side, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Now! There’s so much to get caught up on! I’ll start making us some tea, you’ve gotta tell me everything!”  
“Everything?” Scorpia looked up at her.  
“Yeah! How has everything been going with the Scorpioni? What’s their culture like? Have the factions decided on their land? How are you adjusting to finally being ‘Princess Scorpia’?”  
“I, uh, well…” Scorpia shrunk back into the chair a little. Perfuma took notice of this and gently set down the kettle she had fetched.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“It’s complicated… I don’t really know how to explain it…”  
Perfuma sighed, setting her hand gently on Scorpia’s claw. “Tell me everything.”

***

The fire had settled into a whisper of ambers, its light overshadowed by that of the waning moon. The pearly ceramic teapot had long since been emptied, and the flowery teacups well used. Scorpia and Perfuma had shifted to sitting against each other on the fireside couch, Perfuma gently rubbing her thumb over the ridges of Scorpia’s claws.  
“So, that’s the final verdict?” Perfuma sighed softly.  
“It looks like it. I mean, I don’t think I’d be here if there was still stuff to talk about,” Scorpia’s voice was low and ached in her throat.  
“I… I’m sorry,” Perfuma whispered. “Is there no chance of training with Chelicera until you’re ready to take a higher position? Nothing like that?”  
Scorpia sighed a bit, turning to look at Perfuma, “I don’t know. I could try to bring it up, but to be honest I just… I don’t know if I can take another whole meeting of people debating how ‘worthy’ I am right to my face, you know?”  
“I know.” Perfuma lifted her head to plant a soft kiss against Scorpia’s shoulder. “I… if it’s any consolation, I know how you feel.”  
“You do?”  
“Well, yeah. By the time I discovered I was a princess, I was an adult. Leading a nation and balancing a runestone… it’s something you’re trained to do from birth! My mom and dad were forced to turn in their roles not long after, and gods, were there a lot of meetings about whether I should be in charge.”  
“Really? I… I can’t imagine that was fun at all.”  
Perfuma chuckled, “No, it decidedly wasn’t. But in the end, my mom helped me finish my training. I fought to learn to control my runestone long before I was the leader of Plumeria, and before any of that, I joined the princess alliance. I met people who could help me… people who were similar to me, other princesses who had already learned to control their runestones… and they helped teach me.”  
“Wow… that sounds amazing…”  
“You have people who are here for you, Scorpia. You have people who have been through what you’re going through and we want—and I want to help you.”  
A soft, genuine smile crossed Scorpia’s face, before slowly melting back into a nervousness. “But my runestone isn’t like yours… yours makes plants, grows them, heals them… but lightning? It just destroys things… if your power came out suddenly beyond your control… you’d just have a bunch of unruly plants; but when mine comes out… I could hurt people, or worse!”  
Perfuma placed her other hand over Scorpia’s claw. “You can control it. I know you can. Runestone powers, they’re all for good. Lightning is electricity, it can power machines, lights… it can create warmth. It’s all about understanding and focusing. Your powers aren’t a deadly weapon like you think, Scorpia. They are beautiful and magical and can do so much more than destroy. You can do so much more.”  
Slowly, their foreheads met as they fell closer into each other’s embrace, their breath intermingling.  
“How? How do I control it?”  
Perfuma smiled softly, “Well… we have a week to ourselves, a nice secluded cabin, no other people around to bother us… we could practise together. Being able to meditate and use our powers with no-one else around could be good for you!”  
“You think so?”  
“Of course! If we just set aside maybe an hour or so each day to practise, I can help you figure out where things are going kind of crazy!” She giggled.  
Scorpia couldn’t help but giggle back. “Y-Yeah! That sounds great!”  
Their eyes locked, the tense air slowly beginning to lift as their week spread out before their subconscious. Slowly, Scorpia leaned her head forwards towards Perfuma, cautiously holding her hands with the sides of her claws. Perfuma closed the gap and met their lips in a soft kiss, Scorpia leaning into the touch eagerly. She had missed this.  
She slowly brought her claw up around Perfuma’s waist, breathing in her breath as their lips danced playfully, passionately… Perfuma slowly brought herself closer, beginning to move up onto Scorpia’s lap at the guidance of her touch, her heart racing as emotion swelled up in her chest.  
There was a sudden knocking at the door.  
Perfuma jumped at the sound, slipping quickly off of Scorpia’s legs and onto the couch before righting herself in a surprised blush. Scorpia couldn’t help but feel the comfort and passion of the moment slip away with Perfuma as she looked disappointedly at the door. She shouldered her annoyance.  
“Princess Perfuma? Your and Princess Scorpia’s coach is prepared, we should depart the castle in the next few minutes. May I take your bags?” A voice muttered from behind the door.  
“Oh, shoot!” Perfuma hissed under her breath, racing towards her half-packed trunk and tearing open her drawers. “Just finishing up, I’ll be down in a moment!”  
Scorpia picked herself up off the couch awkwardly and paced over to where Perfuma was packing a few more shoe options. “Can, uhh… can I help you with anything?” She smiled.  
Perfuma looked back up at Scorpia, throwing in a sizable baggie of travel-sized hair products, “Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s okay, I’m almost done here, I just got so caught up in seeing you again… I didn’t mean to rush away from you like that!”  
“Hey, it’s okay! Here, I can start bringing your book bag down,” Scorpia slung her own single rucksack over her shoulder and leaned down to pick up a smaller bag matching Perfuma’s trunk.  
“Annnnnnnddd…. Done!” Perfuma slammed her trunk closed with a smile and clicked the button locks closed. “Now, vacation awaits!”

***

The train slowly moved out of the station as rain pattered gently on the windows. The royal car was well outfitted and gorgeously decorated. The staff were all friendly and came by occasionally to offer drinks and music. Perfuma seemed to rest against her chair with a graceful practised elegance, comfortably reveling in her surroundings. Scorpia once again found herself feeling so alien. A whole car to themselves with all the luxury they could need…  
As time passed by and the waitstaff tapered off and eventually said good night, Scorpia and Perfuma continued to talk. Scorpia could feel herself becoming more and more comfortable as the seconds slipped away by way of their voices. She came to find that the atmosphere was inconsequential so long as Perfuma was there. Meanwhile, she began to pick up more and more that Perfuma was becoming uneasy.

“Are you doing okay?” Scorpia tilted her head a little bit, “You look a little concerned…”  
“Hm? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just… I guess I’m just a little tired…” Perfuma rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding eye contact. Finally, she gave into Scorpia’s pleading looks. She stood up from her bench and with her arms held nervously in each other, sat next to Scorpia. “I’m sorry. I missed you so much, and I’ve just been thinking a lot.”  
Scorpia blinked as she placed an arm over Perfuma’s back as carefully as she could. “What’s going on?” She whispered.  
Perfuma let out a long sigh. “Was this a bad time? To start dating I mean… with everything that’s been happening, I want so badly to just be able to have a normal relationship but… it feels like the world is trying to keep us apart. Between cleaning up from the war and trying to keep everything stable, to just the… the amount of people we have to report to every day causing a baffling amount of interruptions… I want to see you so badly, but even when I do, it feels like we have limited time.”  
Scorpia stared down at her, drinking in her words and working them over in her head.  
“I love you, Scorpia. I love you so much… I just want to be able to see you… I want to be able to go on dates or talk or kiss without having to put a timer on ourselves so we can rush off to the next thing. Even with what happened today, I guess I can’t stop thinking about it—I feel so bad about it—because I dismounted it so quickly. Like it was a shift at a job or a paper at a deadline. Scorpia, that’s not what I want our relationship to become…”  
Scorpia took her other claw and wrapped it around her, pulling her in close and planting a long, soft kiss on the crown of her head. She could feel a weight pulling in her chest at the understanding of the words. She knew the thoughts all too well, just was never able to articulate them as Perfuma had.  
“I know…” Scorpia whispered to her, “I’m sorry. Things are really tough right now. But I don’t think we chose a bad time… there’s not really such thing as a bad time, I don’t think.” She let out a long sigh, leaning back a bit to look at Perfuma in the eyes. “I think we really need this vacation…” She chuckled.  
Perfuma couldn’t help but let out a short laugh as well, wiping a small budding tear from her eye with the ball of her palm. “Yeah… you’re right…” Her face fell a little bit more as she continued thinking, her cheeks slowly warming in a blush as she mulled things over in her head. “Can… can we talk about… when… you know…”  
Scorpia tilted her head slightly in confusion, still searching in Perfuma’s eyes.  
She let out a long sigh. “Can we talk about sex? I… I just want to know where you’re at… I don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for but… I want to start putting in more work to help us feel more… organized? More at home in this relationship, I suppose… and that was one thing I wanted to ask you about…”  
Scorpia had flushed beet-red at the first mention. She suddenly felt her claws become very heavy as she fought to keep her composure. “Uh, y-yeah, sure! I mean, I feel pretty ready… I just… I’ve been nervous. My powers seem to flare up when I’m feeling a lot of emotions… or a lot of anything really… I… don’t want to accidentally hurt you,” The words fought their way out of her mouth as she stared desperately over the patterns of the tile. “I love you Perfuma, I want to be able to share that experience with you, but… I don’t know how to do it without the guarantee that you won’t get hurt…”  
Perfuma watched the deepness of her eyes as she took in her words. Scorpia had retracted her claws to her lap where Perfuma now held them in her hands. Her voice came out slow as a barely audible whisper, “I understand…”  
After a long beat of silence, Scorpia looked back up at her. “What about you? I—I mean, where are you at with that kind of stuff? Just so, you know, just so we’re on the same page…”  
Perfuma smiled, her thumb rubbing over the ridge of Scorpia’s claw. “I think… I’m ready when you are. I just want to make sure that you are absolutely ready first.”  
Scorpia smiled, pushing aside a strand of her hair with a single careful claw. Her eyes were full and soft, her cheeks rosy. “I love you…”  
“I love you too…”  
Once again, their lips pressed together, as if drawn to each other magnetically, falling perfectly and comfortably into place. For a moment, they let their lips rest against each other before pulling back slightly and pushing back together.  
“I missed this… Scorpia…” Perfuma breathed out between their lips in a hushed breath.  
“Heh, at least there’s no one to interrupt us this time,” Scorpia giggled a bit in reply.  
Perfuma closed the gap again, wrapping her arms around Scorpia’s neck as Scorpia’s claws found their way to her waist. Their lips pushed back and forth against each other, each kiss sweeter than the next, each purse more eager. They pushed and pulled and rocked together in a sweet, restless dance. Perfuma couldn’t take it anymore. The heat pooling in her abdomen, the sweet sounds coming from Scorpia, the burning ache to be close to her after so long… she parted her lips against Scorpia’s, gently slipping her tongue forwards. She could feel Scorpia tense slightly before parting her lips in turn, returning into their steady rhythm.  
Sucking gently against her bottom lip and letting their tongues move against each other, Perfuma could feel herself aching and begging for touch, for sensation…  
Without warning, Scorpia scooped her up with her claws so that Perfuma was kneeling just over Scorpia’s lap as she began kissing and sucking gently over her collarbone and neck. With their chests pressed tightly together, Perfuma’s hands wrapped around the back of Scorpia’s head, pulling her ever closer and running her fingers through her short wavy hair.  
“Ah—” She tried to contain the sounds that fought up her throat at the insurmountable pleasure, through was quickly overtaken with them. She could hear Scorpia hum against her in response as she planted a constellation of kisses over Perfuma’s nape. Slowly, Scorpia tilted her head back to look at Perfuma in the eyes, her face still flushed nearly as red as her carapace, with an enamoured and shy smile crossing her cheeks. Perfuma could only smile lightly in response, still running her fingers through her hair.  
It was only at this point that Perfuma realized her arousal—and that it was pressed right up against Scorpia. Her mind was suddenly swarmed by shock and embarrassment and attempts of formulating some kind of escape plan before Scorpia noticed it… though as soon as her expression had changed, Scorpia once again began to search her eyes, nervousness passing over her face.  
“I—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Was all Perfuma could mumble out, still frozen in place, her face hot with embarrassment.  
“Oh, it’s-it’s okay, I… I am too…” Scorpia whispered back breathlessly, shuffling slightly as she spoke.  
Perfuma was caught by surprise with the nervous giggle that escaped her. She covered her mouth and smiled behind her hands, still looking at Scorpia who giggled back. A few more kisses were shared between them before Scorpia spoke once more.  
“Mhm… Perfuma? Do you… do you think I could try something?” Scorpia smiled and brought her head back to look at Perfuma in the eyes. “Y-you know how you made me feel really good back in the hot tub? If… if you wanted… did you want me to do the same for you?”  
Perfuma blinked. “What?” Her voice was breathy as the proposal shot straight from her ears to her naval.  
“Only if you wanted to… I was just thinking, you said you were ready, and the only thing stopping me from being ready is that I can’t… well, you know…” Scorpia’s eyes were once again trailing over the floor as she spoke, her claws back in front of her, gently rubbing together.  
“D-do you mean with your claws?” Perfuma’s heart was racing.  
“Oh! Oh, no, no, not with these—I uh…” Scorpia glanced around nervously, the words clearly caught in her throat by her own inhibition.  
Finally, she moved her claws underneath Perfuma’s bottom, gently lifting her off of her lap and onto the seat. Perfuma had to stifle a moan as Scorpia’s heat left her skin, and quickly found herself pressing down against her lap to hide her erection as Scorpia stood from the seat. With one claw still rested beside Perfuma’s leg, Scorpia kneeled down in front of her, trembling slightly with her nervousness as she awkwardly found herself a comfortable position. With a careful movement, she gently kissed Perfuma’s thigh, just by her knee where her dress allowed.  
“L-like this?” She whispered.  
Perfuma’s face flushed red as another rush of arousal was sent to just below where her hands held. She was so overwhelmed with arousal that she couldn’t find the words to respond. With her hand shaking in anticipation, she began to roll up the skirt of her dress, nodding and humming her consent towards Scorpia. Slowly, she pulled her dress over her hips, revealing a pair of boxy-fitting peach-coloured lace panties. Her member had become swollen and taught beneath them, pressing up against the side where it had slipped from where she had placed it. Scorpia continued to kiss her inner thigh, resting both of her claws on either side of Perfuma’s legs as she moved herself closer. Perfuma could feel the nervousness and arousal in Scorpia’s breath as it danced across her inner thigh, the sweet moaning hums she made driving Perfuma over the top.  
Gracefully and eagerly, Perfuma sat herself forwards, resting her bottom against the edge of the seat and spreading her legs so her feet rested either side of Scorpia’s thighs. Scorpia’s kisses were drawing ever closer and Perfuma could feel herself becoming desperate. She pleaded with herself not to accidentally rush the experience, but the need to be touch was overwhelming. As Scorpia found herself nearing the panties, she stopped, her chest having bumped into Perfuma’s legs.  
“S-sorry,” Scorpia chuckled nervously, “I-I’ve never done this before…”  
Perfuma giggled a bit in return, “It’s okay… I really like it… Here,” She lifted her legs one by one over Scorpia’s shoulders, carefully placing them near the nape of her neck as to not scratch herself on the spines of her trochanter, “Is this okay?”  
“Mhm…” Scorpia hummed, planting one last kiss against the joint of Perfuma’s leg. She nervously pressed forwards, planting a soft kiss on Perfuma’s member through the lace of her panties.  
“Ah!” Perfuma’s head tilted back as the sensation rushed her entire body. But Scorpia didn’t stop. She continued to plant kisses up and down the shaft, from the base to the head, where she wrapped her lips gently over the fabric and sucked lightly. Perfuma let out a few more muted moans as her hands came back to rest in Scorpia’s hair, her fingers wrapping around each strand and lock as Scorpia continued to gently suck through her panties.  
“Mmm…” Scorpia hummed out a moan as she went, slightly angling her head as she let her lips fall over the fabric covered tip, her tongue dancing around it in small circles. Scorpia lifted her head for a moment, her lips full and her face flushed in a nervous ecstasy. “Like that?” She whispered.  
“Y-yeah…” Perfuma spoke breathily. As Scorpia planted another small set of kisses over Perfuma’s thigh and hip, Perfuma brought one of her hands from Scorpia’s hair to herself, gripping the elastic of her panties. Scorpia stopped for a moment to watch, her anxious anticipation translating through the tremble of her claws against Perfuma’s hips. Perfuma shyly reached into her panties and removed her member, tucking the elastic below herself and gently stroking upwards once. Her tip was soaked from the saliva and precum that coated it, some of the latter translucent fluid finding its way down her shaft.  
Scorpia leaned forwards with a small moan, planting a small kiss on the base of her shaft before letting her tongue trace the ridge up and over the tip. Perfuma gasped, tensing up as the hand in Scorpia’s hair gripped lightly, her free hand latching onto the top of Scorpia’s claw. She let out a few more breathy pants as Scorpia once again sucked along the tip, running her tongue around it and humming her moans under her breath.  
After a few moments, Scorpia pushed herself down over Perfuma’s member, taking in half comfortably and sucking against it, her tongue lapping over her ridge.  
“Ah… Scorpia… yes…”  
With this encouragement, Scorpia brought herself back up, keeping some suction to her lips as she went, and began to bob back down. Moving herself up and down the comfortable distance she had chosen, she licked and sucked against Perfuma, the waves of pleasure falling over her entire abdomen as sounds of pleasure continued to spill from her mouth. She found herself gripping tighter and tighter against Scorpia’s claw as Scorpia continued to bob. For a moment, Scorpia bobbed so high that Perfuma fell from her lips.  
When Perfuma looked back down at her, Scorpia’s face was flush with extasy, her eyes half-lidded and her mouth open slightly as she moved forwards to take Perfuma back into her mouth. At the sight Perfuma’s heart nearly skipped a beat, a brand new wave of pleasure washing over her and pushing a moan from her lips. Scorpia continued her rhythmic movement, her lips passing up and down quickly and delicately as she worked away on Perfuma, each dip pushing her deeper into her mouth than before.  
At the deepest point Scorpia had gone, Perfuma heard her throat make a small, guttural gulch and flex suddenly in surprise. Scorpia quickly pulled herself off of Perfuma, coughing slightly into her shoulder as best she could. Perfuma righted herself as quickly as she could—though awkwardly as her legs still dangled over Scorpia’s shoulders—and held Scorpia’s face in her hands.  
“Oh my gods, are you okay babe?” She asked, trying not to laugh as Scorpia blinked the beginnings of tears from her eyes.  
“Y-yeah, sorry, I thought I could do the whole thing…” She shuffled awkwardly, readjusting how she was sitting.  
Perfuma smiled and leaned all the way over to plant a kiss on the crown of her head. “Don’t push yourself too hard… do you want to keep going?” She whispered, slowly returning her hands to their original position and sliding herself back to the seat’s edge.  
“Yeah… yeah… S-sorry…” Scorpia smiled, leaning back in.  
Perfuma was about to respond, though was cut off as Scorpia took her back into her mouth and slipped down just above where she had gagged before rearing her head back up. Whatever words Perfuma was about to say were overtaken by a plethora of moans spilling out of her. Scorpia picked up her rhythm, moving her head up and down in a quick succession as she maintained a strong suction, never failing to pass her tongue over Perfuma’s ridge to her tip.  
Adjusting herself slightly, Scorpia lifted herself onto her knees, tipping Perfuma back against the chair as her legs, splayed over Scorpia’s back, were lifted into a diagonal. Scorpia pushed herself down again, now utilizing the leverage from the bench as she went.  
“Ah… ah... Ah! Ah! Ah! Scorpia!” Perfuma’s voice became louder and louder as she went, her moans bouncing in her throat with the pace of Scorpia’s movements. Perfuma could feel that familiar pressure building in her base, the fibres of her muscles starting to lock up. “AH! AH! DON’T STOP!” She cried out, her voice doused in pleasure as it spilled from her mouth. Scorpia didn’t let up. She continued her pace, her moans and hums slowly turning into determined grunts of indulgence.  
“Aaa—AAHH!!” With a sharp buck of her hips, her hand pushing Scorpia’s head forwards, she felt herself release. Her extasy was like shockwaves pulsing through her body as she continued to buck forwards against Scorpia’s head, riding out her orgasm with a loud string of moans while she spilled out again once or twice more. As the waves of dissipating pleasure settled over her, she fell slack against the bench, her grip on both Scorpia’s hair and claw releasing as she worked to catch her breath.  
Scorpia slowly lifted her head away, the white seed dripping slightly from her lips and back over Perfuma’s member as she pulled away. Quickly, she slipped from under Perfuma’s legs and stood, still shaking slightly in arousal as she quickly reached for a tissue on the table beside her and brought it to her mouth. Perfuma readjusted herself as she sat, trying to regain some composure as she looked back over at Scorpia with a smile.  
“S-sorry, I thought I could swallow it…” Scorpia padded back to Perfuma nervously, sitting down beside her, “Boy do they make that sound less awkward in the books…”  
Perfuma giggled tiredly, raising a hand to cup Scorpia’s cheek. “It was amazing, babe…”  
“Yeah?” Scorpia smiled back.  
“Yeah.”

They sat together, wrapped up in each other’s arms as they bathed in Perfuma’s afterglow. As the memory of the loud beautiful moans began to slip from their minds, their senses were treated instead to each other’s soft breathing, and the gentle pattering of rain as it tapped against the glass.


End file.
